A Spider's Thread
by LadyKatsu
Summary: It was once said that "The scars from their pasts...will be the spider’s thread that binds you all together," but did it apply to more than just the Sanzo party? Could it be that Machira, a young orphan, is also caught in the web?
1. Destruction

Authoress here. Where else would I be? I'm connected to my computer.  
  
'Ello, ever-faithful readers! I felt like writing a new story, so I decided that perhaps Saiyuki could be fun. For those of you who have never seen the show, I can give you a quick ((ha, ha, ha.)) briefing on the characters and the plot. The information below was taken directly from the first manga, with the exception of anything I have put in double parentheses, to make things less confusing. For those of you who have read the book or seen part of the show, I apologize for wasting your time. Feel free to skip to where the chapter starts.  
  
Disclaimer: The manga, anime, and all the information below, save my comments, are the full property of Kazuya Minekura and reprinted for the use of readers who are confused. In no way, shape, or form do I own any of the reprinted information. (Rabid Lawyers sink into the ground, looking gloomy.)  
  
Genjyo Sanzo: A very brutal, worldly priest. He drinks, smokes, gambles, and carries a gun, which is pushing it even for normal people (let alone Buddhist monks). He's searching for the stolen Sutra of his mentor and father figure, Priest Koumyou Sanzo ((Sanzo is the name given to all the high priests, which is why Genjyo Sanzo carries it. All Sazno priests also have a red chakra on their foreheads)), who was killed in Sanzo's youth by a mob of murderous Youkai. Sanzo is egotistical, haughty, and can be very cruel, yet our 23-year-old hero also has calm judgment, unwavering intensity, and surprising charisma. His favorite phrases, incidentally, are "Die," and "I'll kill you." His weapons of choice are the magical Maten Sutra, a handgun ((his gun is a banishing gun, which all Youkai fear. One shot and a demon dies)), and a paper fan for idiots. He is approximately 5' 10", and is often noted for his good looks ((including blonde hair)) and drooping purple eyes.  
  
Cho Hakkai: A rather perplexing young man. Hakkai is usually quite pleasant and polite and is known for his smile, but he can be so off-putting it's hard to tell when he's serious...there's a chance he's a straight man ((which I highly believe he is, considering the fact that he had been married at one point)), but that's open to debate. His occasionally sharp gaze--strongly in contrast with his warm expressions-- is symbolic of his dark, closed past. As Jeep ((a dragon named Hakuryu that can transform into a jeep at will, just usually called Jeep by the others when he takes that form)) belongs to him, he often drives when the group is riding. He uses chi (or life spirit) manipulation as his weapon in battle. He, like Gojyo, is 22 years old, but stands at a slightly shorter height of 5' 11". His eyes are deep green and his right is nearly blind. The cuffs he wears on his left ear are Youkai power limiters, but they can also be appreciated as an ancient Chinese fashion statement.  
  
Son Goku: A cheerful little monkey...or an unholy child born from the rocks where the aura of the Earth was gathered. As his brain is full of thoughts of food and games, it would seem there's not much room for deep thought. To pay for crimes he committed when he was young, he was imprisoned in the rocks for 500 years without ageing. Because of his optimistic personality, he's become the mascot character of the group; this healthy 18-year old is made fun of by Gojyo, yelled at by Sanzo, and watched over by Hakkai. He is approximately 5' 4". His main weapon is the Nyoi-Bo, which can also become a sensekkon. ((In plainer and simpler terms, he uses something to the extent of a long staff, but it can split into 3 connected parts))  
  
Sha Gojyo: Gojyo is a flirtatious, sly, and (let's face it) flat-out horny rogue. His behavior may seem rough and vulgar at first (and it is), but to the friends who know him, he's the dependable older brother. He's best friends with Hakkai, sparring partners with Goku, and...strained acquaintances with Sanzo. Although his love for the ladies sometimes leads to problems, he seems to be searching for someone in particular, and it's not necessarily a woman. He doesn't need a power limiter to blend with the humans because of his unusual heritage. His favorite weapon is his shakujou staff ((it is like a long staff with a crescent moon shaped blade on the end that is connected to a chain and maneuvers seemingly to suit his will)) that uses a chain to control its blade- a messy piece in battle to be sure. He is about 6' tall, has scarlet hair and eyes ((the sign of a half- Youkai)), and at 22, smokes like a chimney with a burning lust for cancer.  
  
((And now for the plot...)) It was a time of chaos, where Heaven and Earth were as one, and humans and demons- the Youkai-- lived together in peace. The foundations of civilization and religion were raised and reinforced in this land of Togenkyo, the paradise known as Shangri-la.  
  
But now, a great evil threatens harmony in this great land. Far to the west, in India, someone is attempting to resurrect the Youkai lord Gyumaoh by mixing human science and Youkai magic. This forbidden practice has created a Minus Wave of negative energy that is spreading across Shangri- la, poisoning the souls of the Youkai and turning them into mindless monsters. The only hope lies in four legendary heroes:  
  
Genjyo Sanzo, a high priest with low morals. Son Goku, the hungry and mischievous Monkey King, released from 500 years of imprisonment. Sha Gojyo, a water sprite with an addiction for good smokes and bad women. Cho Hakkai, the legendary demon slayer, and his transforming dragon Hakuryu.  
  
To save Shangri-la, these four unlikely companions, untied by fate, must travel together...into the West!  
  
Okay, all that was directly from the book, and a pain in the (censor demon makes loud bleeping noise to drown out the swearing) to type, so I hope it was helpful for people who wanted to know about the characters and the plot.  
  
(rubs sore fingers) Wow. Two whole pages of just the stupid intro. I'm talented.  
  
START CHAPTER  
  
"What the hell?" Predictably, the first words of High Priest Genjyo Sanzo as the group sometimes known as the Asinine Assassins came upon the wreckage of what had been the town of Solla.  
  
Gojyo stared out at the ruins of the once prosperous city as the jeep rolled slowly along. Burning buildings crumbling to the earth, charred bodies scattered across the roadway to the point where Hakkai had to stop the vehicle, and a mound of corpses where the Town Hall had been, surely to mock how pathetically easy killing the townspeople was. "What happened here?" he wondered aloud.  
  
Hakkai, being the most levelheaded among them at the moment, said quietly, "We should check for survivors."  
  
The rest nodded, and clambered from the jeep to search the city for anyone left alive who could tell them what had happened.  
  
Picking his was carefully through the dead bodies and pools of blood, Gojyo was disgusted to see that not one of the townspeople had died clutching a weapon. This had surely been a dishonorable attack on an unsuspecting group who never had a chance to fight back. Quite suddenly, his eyes fell upon the corpse of a Youkai, a demon. He shouted to the others, who were at his side in a moments notice.  
  
"A Youkai?" Goku asked wonderingly, letting his eyes, a mix of brown and amber, roam around the ground, searching. "Hey!" He raised a clawed hand and pointed. "Another one! There's a bunch of them!"  
  
The three men followed Goku's unsteady finger, and it was Gojyo that spied it first: a scraped and burned, but undeniably female hand sticking out from underneath the remains of a building wall, right beside a pile of Youkai corpses. As he watched the hand, the fingers curled just slightly, a surefire sign that whoever was trapped was still alive, if only just.  
  
Not speaking a word to his companions, he jogged towards the woman (or so he hoped) and attempted to lift the debris from off her. When he failed, the large slab proving to be too heavy for him to lift alone, he turned to his friends and called, "Can I get a little help here? I think whoever's under this wall is still alive."  
  
The others were helping lift the wall a second later, and when it was finally out of the way, he crouched beside the figure who had been trapped underneath.  
  
She was in bad shape, that much was apparent at first glance. Both of her hands were badly burned, but the one that lay beside her face was the worse of the two. It seemed that she had tried to protect her face from the flames. Cuts and scrapes covered her body, but the worst was four shallows slashes across her back by way of Youkai claws.  
  
Hakkai pushed her short brown locks, uneven from what looked like a slash by a sword or other sharp metal weapon and miraculously undamaged by the flames, back from her face, and breathed a sigh of relief. Aside from a cut across one cheek and a few scrapes, her face and neck were mostly unhurt. "She's alive," he said quietly, pressing two fingers to and uninjured part of her neck and feeling a slow but steady pulse. "This is one lucky girl."  
  
"I don't think luck," Goku said, nudging a sword on the ground with his foot that was splattered with the blood of countless Youkai. "Had anything to do with it."  
  
With a nod, Gojyo added, "It's safe to assume that she fought back, considering that she's the only one alive here."  
  
Hakkai sighed grimly. "Still, when she recovers, she can tell us what happened here. But," he continued, shooting a glance at the others. "That may take awhile. In order to learn why this city was demolished, we have to bring her with us on our travels until she is well enough to go off on her own again."  
  
"No," was Sanzo's instant and icy reply. "The jeep only seats four, and we don't have time to worry about some little girl wounded in battle. The information she has for us may not be helpful anyway. It's entirely possible that she doesn't know a damn thing about any of this."  
  
"But we can't chance it," Hakkai countered reasonably.  
  
"She must be a pretty skilled fighter if she can hold her own against a troop of Youkai," Goku remarked, looking around at the multiple demon bodies. "I wonder how many there were?"  
  
Hakkai shrugged slightly. "That much we may never know."  
  
"Wait a minute." Gojyo stood up swiftly, his eyes quickly moving from the bloody sword and raking the ground. "None of the others had weapons with them," he said slowly, remembering his previous observation. His next words were greeted with silence. "Is it possible that she knew this was coming?"  
  
END CHAPTER  
  
Okay, I want to know what people thought of this chapter, which I know looks ridiculously short when compared to the introduction information. If I get some good reviews, I'll type up a second chapter and update it ASAP. Otherwise, my hard work will have been for nothing. Also, if I get some nice reviews (no flames on this story, please), I'll thank the people I got them from at the bottom of each chapter. I actually have something to put down here already, but it's not really a thank you. It's more of an apology, and the last sentence is directed toward not only her, but to all others where it applies.  
  
PenPusherM: I hope you liked this, considering that you had to probably do some research or just read all the stuff at the top to understand what the bloody hell I was ranting on about. Sorry if reading this gave you eyestrain.  
  
One last thing I would like to make totally and crystal clear is that I am fully aware that the information about the characters and the plot were taken directly from the front cover and back pages of the first manga, and I have already given credit where credit is due. I do not own Saiyuki, and the information was only there to be helpful for those who have never read Saiyuki or need to freshen up their knowledge of the series. Saiyuki belongs to the wonderfully talented Kazuya Minekura, like I said.  
  
Now I'm off to rest my tired, sore hands.  
  
Send in those reviews!  
  
Authoress out. 


	2. Awakenings

Okay, I'm back. I said I'd come back if I got good reviews, didn't I? Well, I'm true to my word, I suppose, even though one is singular. That, and I wanted to keep writing this. Call it an addiction, if you will.  
  
As some of you (who have read the manga or seen the anime) may have noticed, the title of this fic is directly linked to a quote from the first book.  
  
"It's ironic. The scars from their pasts...will be the spider's thread that binds you all together."  
  
(Rabid lawyers slowly materialize)  
  
Umm...that quote up there is full property of Kazuya Minekura, by the way.  
  
Rabid Lawyer 1: (glares)  
  
Rabid Lawyer 2: We really need to work on appearing faster.  
  
(Rabid Lawyers melt into the floor)  
  
START CHAPTER  
  
Hakkai had busied himself with tending to the woman's wounds while the others played cards, and when he was finished they headed away from Solla, taking a detour. Their progress had been slowed considerably by the rescue of the nameless woman and the blocked roadways, but nonetheless they remained in fairly good spirits. They would have brought the sword they assumed belonged to her, but when Gojyo touched it, the blade shattered from overuse.  
  
"Toss me a beer, would ya?" Gojyo shot at Goku suddenly. Their female companion was in the back seat of the jeep between Gojyo and Goku, which made it next to impossible for the pair to exchange blows, but Gojyo was the one she was leaned against, and his arm was around her waist. He had taken to watching over her and appraising her looks at the same time in his typical fashion.  
  
Truth be told, she wasn't exactly bad looking. Her hair was cut unevenly from a sword, probably her own doing, and it framed her face. Despite the burns and scratches, which were healing rapidly thanks to the salves Hakkai had put on the bandages, she was pleasing to look at. Not the type he would usually go for (her chest was a bit too small for his liking, and she wasn't wearing revealing clothes), but she would do anyway. Her eyes...he paused in his thoughts, realizing he wouldn't know until she awoke. It was something to ponder until that time came.  
  
Several times in the course of the last hour, she had stirred slightly, but never woken up. The blow to the head had knocked her unconscious, and that coupled with her injuries kept her that way.  
  
"Get it yourself," Goku replied dully, not really in the mood for an argument. He had been, as always, hungry when they had come into Solla, and planning on having a nice lunch at a local inn. Of course, considering that the inn had been burned down and his meal denied, his hunger had only intensified. Being a Youkai, he could never starve to death, but constantly complained of the lack of food nonetheless. Missing a meal was like a mortal wound to Goku.  
  
"I asked you to get it for me!" Gojyo shot back. "Now do it, you stupid little monkey!"  
  
Experienced in the ways of aggravating Goku, he touched a nerve. "Get it yourself, you pervy kappa!" he shot back.  
  
Sanzo sighed irritably. "Can you both shut the hell up?" Even that was abnormally calm for Sanzo; usually he would have hit someone by now.  
  
His temper recoiling only slightly, Gojyo reached backwards into the cooler himself with his free arm, already plotting his revenge for later. He popped the top on the beer he had grabbed, and took a gulp. "That's better."  
  
Goku leaned his elbow on the side of the door, and rested his chin in his cupped hand. "When are we gonna get there? I'm hungry!"  
  
Sanzo gritted his teeth in annoyance, but Hakkai supplied the answer, eyes never once wavering from the road. "Around an hour, I should think."  
  
Goku groaned loudly. "But I'm hungry!" he repeated.  
  
This time, Sanzo turned in his seat to hit Goku in the head with his notorious paper fan. "Shut the hell up, would you? Your stupid babbling is giving me a headache."  
  
Goku rubbed his head, sending parts of his brown hair astray. A distinctly grumpy look was frozen on his face, but he didn't dare hit back.  
  
Gojyo shifted slightly in his seat (his legs had started to fall asleep), and the girl again stirred. He watched her carefully for any sign of her awakening, but she sank back into an unconscious stupor in a matter of minutes. To disguise his disappointment, he crushed his now empty can in his hands and rummaged for a cigarette. Although he never denied his love for the ladies, he had some honor. An unconscious woman, he would never touch.  
  
"Careful you don't drop ashes on her face," Goku commented quietly as Gojyo lit up, hoping maybe Sanzo wouldn't hear the latest argument starter he was about to launch. "That'd be a great way to start a relationship. 'Hi, my name's Gojyo and that burn there is my fault.' Priceless."  
  
Gojyo's crimson eyes, the color of blood, flickered from the woman to Goku, and narrowed on his face. "Shut up, or I'll put it out on your face." Goku didn't counter that remark, but smirked slightly when he noticed how careful the half-youkai was being.  
  
Hakkai asked suddenly, "Did anyone else feel that?"  
  
Gojyo dropped the cigarette out the window, disagreements forgotten, where it was flattened and extinguished by the wheels of the jeep. "A rippling of energy."  
  
They said no more, but all understood the unspoken warning; a youkai was near.  
  
Despite the telltale signs of a demon presence, they entered into another small town without a problem. The growing unease between the four was apparent. Sanzo kept putting his hand into his robes to where the others knew he kept his banishing gun, and Hakkai's usual smile had become tight.  
  
As they pulled up to a small inn, the ripple of energy faded. "Wherever it was, it's gone now," Hakkai informed the rest. His grip on the wheel loosened.  
  
The others nodded, but again didn't say more. Keeping a low profile was always important, though it was made difficult by Hakuryu's sudden transformation back into a small dragon as soon as the passengers had exited, and the unconscious woman that Gojyo was carrying.  
  
Fortunately the innkeeper, a feeble looking old man, had not seen either, and granted them a room. Naturally, a problem was discovered as soon as they set foot in said room. There were only four beds, and there were five people.  
  
"Uh...guys? I don't know about you, but I'm not sleeping on the floor tonight."  
  
"Neither am I," Sanzo said icily. "It wasn't my decision to bring her along."  
  
"Which means," Hakkai said, sinking on to the nearest bed. "That she should get Gojyo's bed while he spends the night on the floor."  
  
"I agree." Goku sat on one of the other beds quickly, and Sanzo followed suit.  
  
Sighing, he laid the woman on the bed. Hakkai was the one who had spoken the actual decision-making words, but it had been obvious by Gojyo's expression that he had been about to as well. Hakkai only thought to bring her along for information, and Gojyo wanted a little meaningful, overnight female relationship. That was before he knew, of course, that it meant he had to spend the night sleeping on a hardwood floor.  
  
"Betcha wish she wasn't here now!" taunted Goku rudely. Changing tracks at the speed of a hungry demon, he asked, "So how 'bout we go get some lunch?"  
  
"It would be dinner by now," Hakkai corrected gently. "But I for one must agree."  
  
Sanzo arose, straightening his robe. "As much as it pains me to agree with Goku about something, I could go for a meal, too."  
  
Gojyo cast a look back at the girl occupying his bed before following the others out the door.  
  
Around an hour later, they banged back into their room, Goku yawning widely.  
  
A second later, they froze. Sitting upright in one of the beds was a very confused looking young woman who jumped at the sight of them.  
  
'Hazel,' Gojyo thought vaguely. 'Her eyes are hazel.'  
  
END CHAPTER  
  
I'm pleased I got a review on the first chapter of this story already, so here's the promised thanks.  
  
PenPusherM: Thanks for your review; it brightened my spirits a little. Glad you liked it, even though you've never heard of the series before. Now, about those deadly tulips...  
  
I'll try and have the next chapter up quickly, but that could be a problem considering that I'll be gone for another week. Oh, cruel world! Well, I'm quite sure I don't have any addicted readers who'd absolutely die if they couldn't read the third chapter, so no worries.  
  
Send in those reviews! One final thing. No flames. I'm getting sick of reading those. If you don't like the story, tell me without saying I'm a stupid girl who doesn't understand anything about anything, okay? That'd be nice for a change.  
  
Authoress out. 


	3. A Brutal Memory

Authoress here. Again.

My internet has been acting up lately, making it hard to connect and load web pages, but I'm faithful to fanfiction, so I've been doing it anyway.

That, and my hands hurt. My fingers keep cramping up.

Oh well. It'll get better over time.

START CHAPTER

The woman's hazel eyes flitted to each of the men in turn, then she asked cautiously, "What's going on here?"

Hakkai smiled gently. "Ah, you're awake."

"Awake?" she repeated nervously. "What are you talking about?"

"You live in Solla, right?" Goku asked.

"Yes, I do," she answered in a rather dignified manner, her gaze shifting to him.

Sanzo spoke next. "When we got there, you were unconscious. What happened?"

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, and it was then that she noticed the bandages she wore on both hands. "Youkai attacked. I live on the far edge of town, so I saw them coming in time to grab a sword. I was fighting them...not paying attention to the building next to me that was on fire."

Gojyo nodded. "That checks out. We found you underneath a collapsed wall of a building."

"What happened to Solla?" she asked quickly, her eyes boring into Gojyo's. It was dark enough where she had just to notice the telltale signs that he was a half-demon.

"Demolished," came his reply.

Bandaged hands clenching to the side of the bed, she looked at them in disbelief. "That...that's not possible. There were countless armed guards all over the city. A group of demons couldn't have destroyed it."

"That," Sanzo said curtly, his icy voice like a blunt knife. "Depends on the number of demons."

Her grip lessened as realization sank in. "There must have been a hundred of them. I only managed to kill about fifteen..." She trailed off and squeezed her eyes shut. When they reopened, her voice seemed to quaver. "Who are you?"

Each of them in turn introduced themselves, and she gave a small nod to each of them, then when they were finished she said quietly, "My name's Machira Furuwaki."

"How old are you?" Gojyo asked, ignoring the looks from the others who knew already, even this early, what he was planning.

"I'm 20," she replied, her eyes again meeting his. As if understanding what he was hinting at, she crossed her arms protectively over her chest. "Why?"

He shrugged. "No reason."

"If there wasn't a reason," she countered coolly. "Then why did you ask?"

He gave her a crooked grin. "Just wanted to make sure I'm not robbing the cradle too much."

Any other girl Gojyo had met would have blushed and giggled girlishly at that obvious bit of flirting, but she didn't even crack a smile. "I suppose this is your bed, then?"

He nodded, and replied slyly, "But it could be both of ours, if ya want it to be."

At hearing that remark, she stood up. "Where had you intended to sleep?"

Confused, he pointed a spot on the floor (a pillow and blanket had been thrown down to make it more comfortable) on the far end of the room. He watched as she walked over to it and sat down, her back against the knotty pine planks that made up the wall. "Have fun in the bed by yourself, then."

"Oh, he will," Goku remarked immediately, raising his eyebrows several times to indicate that there was sexual innuendo hidden behind his words.

That triggered the usual onslaught of verbal abuse and occasional physical assaults between the two, and left Machira free to lay down with her back to them and pull the blanket up to her shoulders.

Quite suddenly, Sanzo kicked her in the back of the leg. She rolled over to look at him, outraged at his nerve, but realized he probably had something important to say if he was disturbing her. Sure enough, when he realized he had her attention, he flung a question at her. "You said you lived at the far edge of town, right?"

"Yes, I did," she answered, her voice cool and even with practiced calm. "Why?"

"Because there weren't any houses on the far edge of town," he spat, his purple eyes narrowing. "Would you mind telling us the truth now?"

Gojyo and Goku had stopped fighting when Sanzo had addressed Machira, but she hadn't noticed. Instead, she kept her eyes locked on Sanzo's. "Certainly," she replied lightly. "Later. At the moment, I think I'd like to rest." With that, she turned her back to him again.

Sanzo clenched his fists so hard, his knuckles turned white. Though she couldn't see him, she was delighted that she was annoying him so much. "Listen, you little bitch." That caught her attention once more, and she sat upright, her eyes glinting maliciously. From all his travels, the priest knew that to insult a female warrior was all it took to make her pay attention.

"What did you just call me?" she questioned through clenched teeth. He laughed to himself. It was easy to catch her attention; easier than he had originally thought.

Ignoring her, he continued, "You're our guest here, and we could easily just dump you on the street. If you'd like to sleep outside, be my guest." A sweeping motion with his arm, directed at the doorway, let the sleeve of his robe fluttering and Machira looking at him evenly, which he hadn't expected.

"There's only one problem with that, Priest Sanzo." She gave him the smallest of smiles. "Considering you need to know "the truth" to insure that it's safe to be in my company, I'm more than certain you'll wait until morning."

Sanzo was silent. He knew she was right, but didn't feel like taking a hit to his pride by admitting it. Instead, he stomped to his bed and settled down to go to sleep, calming his fiery nerves.

Minutes later, when the lights were out and Machira was fairly sure the others were asleep, she climbed silently out of her bed and snuck to the small bathroom. Shutting the door silently behind her was no easy feat; it squeaked loudly when she moved it, and once it was closed she deftly slid the metal bolt lock into place. She felt along the wall for the light switch, and flipped it up. The instant light was blinding, and she had to squint her watering eyes. When she had recovered, she examined her reflection in the mirror. She reached up to push hair from her eyes, and froze when she saw the reflection of her bandaged hand in the mirror.

Quick as a flash, she lowered her hand. She rolled up the sleeve of her loose shirt, and saw the wounds on her arms too we covered by cotton bandages. A flash of anger passed through her as she saw her shirt had slid up when she moved her arm. She could see clearly that there were also bandages under her shirt. Upon removing said shirt, she gritted her teeth, her breath escaping in a low hiss. On her upper back had been four shallow gouges. To bandage them, which someone had already done, meant that someone had lifted her shirt. Tugging the garment over her head, paying no heed to the shooting pain from her burned hand, she willed herself not to be angry. It was only her back, after all, and surely whichever man it had been had tried his best to preserve her modesty.

But what if it had been Gojyo? He had already proved that he was interested in one thing only when it came to her, but unquestionably a priest wouldn't have allowed such defilement of her honor. Would he?

In her mind, she conjured an image of Sanzo. He was good looking from a woman's point of view, that she would admit, but he was a bit too crude for her liking.

Goku was a different sort of person. From what she had gathered, he was only eighteen, but she silently reminded herself that looks could be deceiving. The gold headband adorning his head had caught her eye when a stream of moonlight had glinted off it, and she instantly recognized it as a Youkai power limiter. Any sort of demon made her nervous since the assault that had nearly killed her and wiped her hometown off the map. And it had all been her fault...she shook her head sharply to rid herself of that thought.

Hakkai seemed like the reasonable one of the group, meaning the doctoring of her wounds had probably been his doing. Her anger diminished as she realized that what he had done had probably saved her life. If her modesty had been tarnished along the way, so be it.

She chuckled softly herself as a picture of Gojyo swam into her mind. He was fairly close to her age, and had already thrown out two obvious hints that he liked her. But in relationships and flirting, she reminded herself, there's always a catch. Thankfully, she already knew what this one was so it wouldn't come as a surprise. Gojyo wanted to sleep with her, and that was that.

She paused as her hand moved to shut off the light, and realized that since the darkness had cloaked the four men, she didn't really know what any of them looked like. It was going to be a shock to wake up in the morning and see them as they truly were, that much she knew.

Before any other ideas could plague her mind, she switched off the light and slid the bolt to the side. The door swung open, but thankfully this time it didn't creak. She supposed that it only made noise when it was closing, and an experimental poke proved her right.

She felt her way along the wall until her foot touched the blanket she had been using, and settled back down. When she shut her eyes, she realized with a jolt that she wouldn't be able to sleep well that night. Her mind was swarming with unanswered questions.

A voice shattered her thoughts. "You should get some sleep."

Her eyes searched through the shadows until she realized that the speaker had been Gojyo, who was upright on his bed.

"Don't tell me what to do," came her immediate answer, complete with bad attitude, even this late at night.

In reply, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and walked toward her. "Okay, off the floor."

At once she knew he was trying to be kind, but she was too stubborn to go back on her actions from before. She had chosen the floor as a way to tell Gojyo that she didn't want anything to do with him, and would rather spend the night on the floor than occupy the bed that was to be his. "I like the floor," she lied. Truthfully, the floor was very uncomfortable, and she couldn't seem to lie down without hurting a sore part of her body.

He smiled a bit. "Nice try, Machira. I'll sleep here, you take the bed. Easy as that."

"No thanks, Gojyo."

He heaved a sigh. "Didn't want to have to resort to this." She had time to cast him a confused look before he had picked her up and swung her over his shoulder.

Conscious to the fact that the others were sleeping, she hissed softly, "Put me down, bastard!" She tried to wiggle free to no avail.

"Fine," he replied just as quietly, dropping her onto the soft bed where he had been sleeping moments before.

She sat up, and made to climb off. "Not here."

He placed his hands on her shoulders, and pushed her head back onto the pillow. For a brief moment, Machira was aware of her heart fluttering. When she met his eyes, the clouds covering the moon shifted, throwing a shaft of light on the two. She had been about to say something, but clamped her mouth shut. Blood red eyes. He was a half demon.

As if reading her mind, he provided, "I'm not like other demons, and I'm not gonna hurt you. Just try to get some sleep." He removed his hands, briefly touching her cheek, and crossed back to the spot on the floor where she had been sleeping.

She pulled the covers up to her neck, momentarily defeated, and pressed a hand to her heart. Why had it started beating faster? The shock of learning what he truly was, she decided firmly. Another jolt hit her. She hadn't learned that until after. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly. It was not possible for her to have feelings for someone related with the group that had destroyed her life. Was it?

Deciding to think about it when she wasn't tired (struggling against Gojyo's iron grip had tired her out considerably), she let her eyes droop shut.

When they opened again, she flinched. A ray of sunlight was shining directly on her face. She sat up, letting the covers tumble away from her, and saw Sanzo was sitting, fully awake, on a small wooden chair. She was less grouchy and stubborn than she had been the night before, and made the first move. "I suppose you want to hear the truth now, then?"

He nodded. She was definitely in a better mood today. It seemed she had come to terms with the fact that he hand a hand in saving her life, and was trying to repay him by being nicer and more cooperative.

"I see," she replied quietly. She hadn't yet realized that the other three were awake until she saw that Hakkai and Goku were sitting on a moldy couch, watching her silently, and Gojyo was sitting on the top of a small dresser.

Sanzo was watching her expectantly, as right as he was about to prompt her to start talking, she did. "A few days ago, the exact amount depending on how long I was unconscious, a large group of Youkai came into our town. My father was somewhat of the ruler of Solla, so they came straight to our home to speak to him. They said that four great and powerful demon slayers were headed towards us, and they wanted our help in killing them. We didn't want to agree to their plans, but when the lives of everyone in Solla were put on the line, my father hastily accepted."

She paused, and averted her eyes from Sanzo. It was very unnerving to lock eyes with that man, she had realized. She had been right to think that she would be shocked by appearances when the sun was up. She took in the other three men's appearances quickly before she continued.

"After the chat, the demons said they would be back the next day to arm the townspeople. When they arrived, I was waiting for them. I shouted to them that we would not help them after all to kill the demon slayers, and that's when they attacked. It was a massacre, and it was completely my fault. I lived because they thought they had fatally wounded me. They left me to die, but you found me and saved me, and for that I thank you all."

She fell silent, unsure of what to say now that her story was completed.

"Four demon slayers," Sanzo repeated to the others, brushing away her thanks like it was a fly buzzing around his head. "They must've meant us."

Hakkai nodded. "They killed everyone in Solla because they believe that if you aren't going to fight for the same cause as them, that makes you the enemy."

Suddenly, all of them froze. Machira felt a creepy tingle sneaking up her spine, and knew from experience what it meant.

"Youkai," breathed Goku.

"But it's not just one this time," Hakkai replied, standing up. The other men followed suit. "The other was just a scout. But this time, they've sent the army."

END CHAPTER

I love cliffhanger endings.

A special thanks goes to:

Cesmith: There are a lot of questions I have to answer now that I threw all those loose ends out there, and I hope you like the explanations. It's Gojyo's love of the ladies that landed them in this situation anyway. Will he ever learn?

Shadow of The Flame: It wasn't this fic that's gotten flames, it's my embarrassment of a Kenshin fic. I thought people would understand that my first ever fic is bound to be bad, but I didn't expect the flames. I appreciate the compliment on this fic gratefully. I'm always pleased to hear that people like what I write, and I hope you enjoy the next chapters.

PenPusherM: Oh, fun! You don't need Purdy Colors when you read my fics? Maybe you should rest your eyes, then, if you're seeing pretty much the same thing for both. Thanks a lot for always being there to review even my crappiest stories! It's nice to get a positive review from someone who's never seen the series before. It's really good, though. I recommend it.

I'll try and update soon. If I'm lucky, my cousins will let me use their computer to post updates. Imagine, a week without a computer.

Barbaric.

Authoress over and out.


	4. Realizations

Howdy, y'all. This is your favorite (I can dream...) Authoress again.

What more can you expect from me except frantic typing in hopes of finishing another chapter before tomorrow? Not much, my friend, not much.

I have a small correction to make from the first chapter character information.

Hakkai was not married; he simply had a very close girlfriend. She committed suicide after getting raped and impregnated by a demon. Afterwards, Hakkai went on a killing spree in an attempt to avenge her. That connects with the reason why one of his eyes is nearly blind.

I offer my sincerest apologies for the incorrect information from before.

START CHAPTER

"An army?"

Sanzo paused to look back at Machira, who seemed frozen to the spot, as he moved towards the thin door that connected their room to the hallway. "An army," he replied icily. "As in a large group of pissed off demons with sharp objects."

Machira rolled her eyes at the priest when he wasn't looking, then slipped from her bed to join them at the doorway. They didn't notice her until they had stepped into the hallway.

"Uh-uh, you're hurt," Gojyo said, moving to push her back into their room.

"I don't care," she replied, slapping his hands away. He caught her by the wrist, and the reason for her eagerness to help came to him as his eyes fell upon the bandages that were wrapped around her hand. This group of demons was most likely the same one that destroyed her home and killed her family. She wished to avenge them, no matter what.

It took a few seconds for Gojyo to realize that she wasn't fighting to free her arm. Her gaze had dropped to the floor. "I know I don't look like I can help, but I have to."

Sighing Gojyo followed the others down the staircase that lead to the front door, but before he went outside to join his comrades, he pressed her up against the wall beside the door. "You be careful as hell out there, got it? These demons aren't messing around."

"I know that," she replied, meeting his red eyes unflinchingly for the first time. Her eyes flickered to the scars he carried on his face, and he released her.

"Just be careful. I don't wanna watch Hakkai mop you up again."

Machira realized this meant he had been watching when Hakkai bandaged her back, and felt a hot rush of anger, but pushed it aside. Now was not the time. She collected herself enough to nod.

Then together, they stepped into the budding chaos.

A band of demons was waiting. Hakkai was calling on his chi, and the others brandished weapons. They all knew that this meant things were more than likely going to get rather messy.

One of the demons saw Machira suddenly, lowered his axe, and pointed a long, brittle green finger at her. "She's the only one we want. Give us the girl, and there won't be any trouble here," he bargained in an oily voice.

Gojyo raised his shakujou staff, his lips curving into a cocky grin. "Looks like we're gonna have some trouble, then."

With those words, the battle started. A blast of Hakkai's chi wiped out several unlucky youkai before they had a chance to charge, and Goku seemed to be having fun shouting advice at the youkai before killing them. Machira was not nearly as nimble as she had been before she was injured, but she did a fair job with her hands and feet. To her disgust, she felt a demon's arms slink around her, holding her fast, when she dropped her guard for a second.

"You backed out of a deal, girly," he hissed into her ear.

Although demon men are different from human men in many ways, a swift, backward kick to the groin is painful to both, as Machira soon realized. She cast the startled and pained demon a grin before she moved on.

It wasn't long before the fight ended. All the wounded demons refused to talk and were simply killed, but those wise enough to run were spared.

The five warriors gathered to evaluate the situation, and Machira noted that none of them had even a scratch. Her face flushed as she realized how pathetic she must have looked when the demons were all killed so easily. She had scars for life from a group that took roughly ten minutes to defeat.

"That wasn't too bad," Goku admitted, making Machira feel worse. He hadn't even broken a sweat.

"It's unfortunate that we didn't learn who sent them..." Hakkai paused to look at Machira, who hadn't said anything. She had decided it was best to hide her feelings of shame, and shifted her gaze from person to person to avoid getting asked any questions.

"It may have been that no one sent them here. Maybe they were just pissed off that the girl they wanted to kill most of all made it out alive," Gojyo tossed in.

"Could be. After all, they said they wanted her," Goku remarked with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

"Then they aren't the only ones." Gojyo grinned at Machira, who simply raised an eyebrow at him. That comment had further proved her suspicions that he was merely interested in sleeping with her, and desired nothing more from her than that.

"Gojyo, shut the hell up," Sanzo said reproachfully.

After giving Machira a flirtatious glance, which she didn't react to, Gojyo turned back to the serious conversation. "Let's just pay for our room and get the hell outta here."

There was a murmur of agreement, and a short time later they were all sitting in the jeep, driving away from the small inn and confused innkeeper, who was so sight deprived he had yet to notice the many demon corpses that littered the ground in front of his home.

Machira looked a bit cross, smashed in between two overly awake and heatedly arguing men, but didn't complain. Instead, she carefully constructed a question to ask the group. "Why did you bring me with you?"

Gojyo nudged her in the ribs gently, abandoning his latest disagreement with Goku. "You think we'd leave you behind so more demons would come back and finish you off?"

She almost replied with a definite yes, but bit her tongue. It would be rude to insult them after all they had done for her. "I can never repay you for this."

"Well, actually, you could..." Gojyo trailed off, knowing that she had understood his meaning already.

I could have loved him, Machira thought to herself. "I think I'll have to pass," she said instead, disguising her thoughts.

"Once you make one demon angry at you, you have to deal with all of them. They're connected in that sense," Hakkai supplied, his emerald eyes carefully not wavering from the road, which Machira greatly appreciated.

"Oh." Her reply was short and to the point, but it didn't come anywhere close to summing up what she wanted to say. She was scared. Deeply, deeply scared, but it wasn't just of the demons that were coming after her. After her father had fearfully agreed to help kill the four demon slayers that were now the closest things to friends she had left, she had sworn never to trust any demon ever again. But now, she was sitting by two full demons, and one who was half and half.

She was afraid of herself as well. Her heart fluttering at the sight of a half demon was only the first step. A heavy pain was sitting upon her heart. Gojyo wanted her for sexual reasons, but she was shocked to discover that she had feelings for him buried deep inside herself.

You're being stupid. He doesn't want to have a relationship with you, a tiny voice inside her head was insisting. Give it up.

She decided that instead of thinking, she would simply watch the scenery pass by. Her head was starting to hurt.

"So...where are we headed?" Goku asked Hakkai. Machira had been so absorbed in her thoughts she hadn't realized that the dispute around her had stopped.

Hakkai smiled. "I'm not really sure of the name, but it's a fairly large city. I asked the innkeeper about it yesterday, and he told me just to follow this road."

Goku laughed good-naturedly. "You sure he wasn't senile?"

"If he was, it doesn't really matter at this point. All roads lead somewhere," Hakkai respond philosophically.

"Right. I know that, but...I'm hungry!"

Sanzo sighed angrily. "You already ate breakfast."

"Speaking of which, we saved you some in case you were hungry." Gojyo reached behind him into the small plastic cooler, and extracted a few items. "It's not much, but that's what we get for staying at a cheap inn."

He handed her a slightly squashed muffin, a small red apple, and a can of orange juice. "Thanks." She remembered how Goku had said he was hungry, so she turned and handed him the muffin. "I'm not really that hungry anyway."

Goku accepted the food gratefully, and with a small chuckle, Machira ate her own food. She wasn't hungry, truthfully, but she felt that it was only healthy to fill her stomach after being without nourishment for two days.

When she had finished, she crushed the can and placed it carefully in the trash, but decided to throw the apple core into the woods that lined the road. It soared over the treetops and landed with a soft thump out of view.

"Nice arm," Gojyo commented appreciatively.

She smiled faintly, then rubbed her hand right. It was sore today, probably from the fight. Or perhaps it was curling her arm under her head in an attempt to make her pillow seem less pitifully flat.

Sanzo yawned, leaning back slightly in his seat. "Grab me a beer, would ya?"

Highly amused, Machira moved faster than Gojyo and slapped the damp can into the priest's hand. "You're a little different from most priests I've met, you know."

He smirked at her and popped open the top, turning to face forward again.

"All the other priests and monks I've met wouldn't allow women to set foot into their temples. That, and the men aren't allowed to drink, smoke, or gamble." She paused, realizing the others were chuckling softly. "What?"

"Nothing," Sanzo replied in a noticeably gentler (but still quite snappish) tone, smiling just a little. He seemed to be getting used to having Machira around, and didn't yell at her as often. "Just that we can relate."

She smiled a little, fighting back a memory of her father that she had been reminded of by seeing Sanzo smile. Her father scarcely laughed as well. She swallowed hard, fighting down a wave of sadness.

"Um...Machira?"

She looked over at Goku, a bit startled. He hadn't addressed her directly, seeming to sense her fear of demons. "Yeah?"

"Sorry if it's hard for you to sit next to me," he muttered. "I know you don't really like youkai all that much."

With a smile, she replied, "I'm getting to like them a lot more."

"What about half demons?" Gojyo asked hopefully.

Swiveling her gaze to lock her eyes on his, she replied quietly, "Living proof that humans and demons can live in peace." Again, her eyes flickered to focus on the scars beside his eye, but she didn't ask him about it. For that, he was grateful.

Machira rubbed her hand again. Tonight, if given the option of sleeping on the floor or taking Gojyo's bed, she would take the floor and let him be comfortable.

After all, he did find her when she was hurt. Thinking about that reminded her of how he had warned her to be careful. Sanzo had killed a demon with a poleax that had rushed her, and upon thinking back she realized that her life had been saved a few more times by the men watching over her.

She leaned back, not caring that Gojyo slipped his arm around her shoulders to see what she would do. Shutting her eyes, she let out a satisfied sigh. Although her travels with them would undoubtedly end sooner or later, she saw no reason to let that trouble her.

As the jeep came over the top of a hill, a city was visible. "See? I told you we'd find it!" Hakkai said lightly to Goku.

"Great!" Goku replied enthusiastically. "I'm starving!"

END CHAPTER

Yay! I finished this chapter in one day! So maybe I neglected a few other things...like feeding my cats, and eating breakfast...but it's done at last! Huzzah!

(cough) Anyway, I promise to type my bloody heart out when I return home to make up for my absence. Just for the record, I'm not British, I'm just strange.

Authoress out.


	5. Vague Memories

Authoress here. It feels so rewarding to start a new chapter to a story, especially after being gone for a week. Which wasn't fun, by the way.

Like I promised, I'm going to type "my bloody heart out" in an attempt to make up for being gone so long. But not literally. I need that to live.

Heh, heh. That was stupid.

START CHAPTER

It hadn't taken very long to learn the name of the new, thriving town where Goku hoped to find food and Gojyo hoped to find women.

"Aelis, huh?" Sanzo had said, eyeing a sign that was done in overly perky pastel colors. "This is one of the few places where the youkai haven't caused trouble."

Rolling by in a jeep was causing attention to be drawn to them, as it was the only iron vehicle most of the civilians had ever seen, but the members of the Sanzo party didn't appear concerned.

"We shouldn't stay here for very long," Hakkai said quietly, making it clear that his calm face had been a convincing act. "We don't want to bring any harm to this town."

Machira watched the peoples' eyes follow them as they drove slowly down the main street, and felt herself growing uncomfortable. Being a female, she was always kept out of view by her parents, who had been very over protective of her since she was born.

"Does that mean we can't stop to get a meal?" Goku asked worriedly. Even though he was a demon boy aged 18, there was nothing more important to him than a good meal.

Machira turned her attention to the young demon who sat to her left, and smiled kindly. "I'm sure we can stop somewhere." She shifted slightly and winced, her weight landing on her badly burned left hand that had not yet healed.

"How are your wounds doing?" Hakkai questioned, having noticed her expression of pain when he glanced into the rearview mirror on the jeep.

"Fine." It was easier to lie to Hakkai when she didn't make eye contact, and she was sick of being such a hassle.

Hakkai chuckled softly, switching his attention back to the road. "It's pointless to try and lie to me, Machira. I'll have to change the bandages tonight."

A blush crept up on her cheeks, and she stared fixedly at her knees. The jeep hit a bump seconds later, succeeding at startling her, jarring her sore body, and causing her to throw out an arm to steady herself. Her hand landed on one of Gojyo's, and for a second both were too startled to react.

Machira jumped when she realized her hand was resting on the warm flesh of another person's hand, and she yanked it back quickly. Gojyo didn't comment on the event, but he was pleased on the inside. His youkai blood made him more in tune with things, and he had observed that her pulse sped up when she noticed whose hand she was touching.

Although she was carefully avoiding meeting his eyes, it was obvious that she was blushing a darker shade of magenta. Her hair was short enough where it didn't hide her face completely, and Gojyo itched to brush it away from her face, take her in his arms, and hold her close. He kept those thoughts to himself, however, and cast his gaze to the buildings on the side of the road. She would never like him even if he stopped with the sexual advances (which seemed to greatly annoy her) that he slipped into every conversation. Oh well, he thought to himself, dismayed. There are other women out there.

"This can't be where we're staying." Goku placed his hands on his hips as he took in the small, shabby inn that Hakkai had pointed out minutes earlier. "It's a total dump!"

Hakkai sighed, looking at the stubborn demon boy. "I'm sorry, Goku, but this is all they have to offer."

Goku's face fell; he had apparently thought they were trying to save money by not picking a better inn, and that news had saddened him greatly. Giving up, he threw in a last retort. "They better at least have a kitchen."

Upon seeing what the room that she was supposed to sleep in looked like, Machira stopped in the doorway. She and Gojyo had been assigned to share a room by the method of rock-paper-scissors, but she hadn't expected this.

The innkeeper had said it slept two people, but had neglected to mention the details. Sitting in the middle of the room was a neatly made double bed.

Gojyo was behind her, and upon looking over her head he figured out what had made her stop walking. He sidestepped past her, and shook his head a little. "Well, this is a strange turn of events. I guess you wanna go to a different room, then? I mean, you're obviously scared about the idea of sharing a bed with me," Gojyo commented slyly.

"I am not," Machira replied stubbornly. Her mind was in turmoil as she processed what he had said. He knew she was stubborn and wouldn't admit she was afraid of anything, but was he trying to use it to his advantage?

"It's fine. I'll just sleep on the floor over there and-"

"No!" The forcefulness of her reply caused Gojyo too glance at her, shocked. "I...I'm sick of causing so many problems around here. I don't mean to interfere with anything. Y-you take the bed, and I'll sleep on the floor."

Gojyo looked at her evenly, considering what she had said. "Here's a better idea. We'll share the bed, and I swear I won't try anything."

Roughly an hour later, after Hakkai had carefully changed all her bandages, Machira swung her legs over the edge of the bed she and Gojyo were sharing, prepared to sleep on the floor to ease her pounding heart.

"What are you doing?" A hand descended on Machira's shoulder, halting her.

"Uh..." She scoured her mind for a good excuse, but found none.

"I'm true to my word, Machira," Gojyo said quietly. "I won't touch you."

"I know," she replied in a low whisper. "But-"

As Gojyo opened his mouth to interrupt, loud yelling pierced the night air, causing the pair to jump. Machira crossed quickly to the window, and spied the reason. A group of celebrating villagers had a youkai chained to a wooden pole and were preparing to burn him alive.

A second later, Gojyo was beside her, surveying the scene.

"We have to help him!" Machira hissed feverishly.

Gojyo didn't look at her. "No."

"What? They're going to burn him alive! We have to do something!"

Gojyo shook his head, and finally met her eyes. "I can understand what you're feeling right now, Machira, but if we help that demon then the townspeople will turn on us as well. We don't like fighting innocents."

A sudden knock at the door resounded through the room, and Gojyo left his spot at the window to answer it. Hakkai, Goku, and Sanzo entered and shut the door hurriedly behind them. The four chatted quietly amongst themselves for a minute or so, then Gojyo broke away from the group to grab Machira and pull her away from the window then out the door with them, all without an explanation.

"What's going on?" Machira asked nervously, aware that the men around her all had grim expressions on their faces.

"Hakkai, Gojyo and I are demons. If we don't get out of here soon, it could be all of us roasting in that fire," Goku explained quietly.

As they passed the vacant front desk, Machira bit her tongue rather than ask if anyone had paid for their rooms. It was better to remain silent sometimes.

Hakkai peered out the front window, then moved hurriedly out of sight. "No good. We have to find a back door."

"How about a window?"

Hakkai followed Machira's gaze to a large window. "Better than nothing."

Before they could take a step towards the window, however, the front door swung open to reveal a group of men carrying weapons of all sorts, and flaming torches that cast an eerie glow around the room. "Where do ya think you're goin', demons?"

"Out," replied Sanzo shortly.

The man in front eyed the group, then grunted, "Buddha-boy an' da bitch can go, but youse demons are comin' with us."

A few seconds later, he was clutching his reddening left cheek, and Machira looked livid, her hand still raised in the air. She offered no explanation for her actions, but it was understood.

"Now that that's taken care of," Gojyo said, amused. "We can leave."

The man, his pride and his check bruised, unsheathed a sword that he had been carrying in his belt and swung it so the point was touching Machira's nose.

She knocked it aside easily with the back of her hand, and heaved an impatient sigh. "Stop with the child's play, please. My friends and I would like to leave without having to beat down a group of angry townspeople."

Hakkai smiled at the men calmly, causing a few to grip their weapons tighter with unease. "If you think a mob of ten of so can defeat us, feel free to try it, but I do warn you against it."

It seemed that the men wouldn't listen to reason, so the Sanzo party had no choice but to knock them all out cold. It seemed that Gojyo was having fun bashing townsfolk over the head, which was more than slightly amusing to watch. Sanzo was using the butt end of his gun, and Goku his staff.

It wasn't long before they were sitting in their usual spots in the jeep, driving away from Aelis before the break of dawn.

"That was an eventful night," Gojyo commented, to break the silence more than anything else.

Machira scoffed. "That's a bit of an understatement."

Gojyo cuffed her lightly in the shoulder, and grinned. "Fair enough."

Goku groaned. "Couldn't we have at least stayed for breakfast? I'm so hungry!"

"No," Sazno replied flatly. "We'll probably find another inn soon."

"How many towns are we going to be driven out of before that happens?" Goku asked angrily. "I'm sick of this crap! Just because we're demons, people hate us. It's not fair." The young demon crossed his arms, and carefully stared out at the passing trees. "Sometimes I wish I was a human."

"Trust me on this- it's not all it's cracked up to be. Humans are pathetic compared to demons," Machira replied quietly. "If I was a demon, I would've been able to save my hometown. Be happy with what you are, Goku. You can't change it. I could, by killing 1000 demons, but I don't want that." She stopped talking abruptly, catching the mirror reflection of Hakkai.

"That's how I became a demon," Hakkai replied offhandedly, although it was clearly still a sore subject to him.

"Oh. I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't know."

"It's alright." Hakkai smiled at her in the rearview mirror.

As they came to the top of a hill, Machira straightened up from her slouched position. "I've been here before." She took in the landscape and the bridge up the road, visible in the moonlight. "It was so long ago that I don't know the name anymore, but I've been here."

Gojyo eyed her, bemused. "When?"

Leaning back, Machira responded, "That's just the thing. I can't remember that either."

END CHAPTER

Whee! Cliffhanger!

I'll try and get the next chapter up to avoid getting my throat cut. (cough) PenPusherM is a scary opponent.

I was going to continue saying thanks to my reviewers separately, but I'm a lazy bum. I'll just say this to everyone who's reviewed:

Thanks! Your reviews are what keeps me going!

Authoress out.


	6. Sweet Dreams

Authoress here.

(Rabid Lawyers materialize)

What the...?

Rabid Lawyer 1: (satisfied smile)

Okay, who didn't I give credit to?

Rabid Lawyer 2: We'll let you guess on that one, but until you do...we'll poke you with sharp sticks.

(poke) Ow! What did I forget? (poke) Ow!

START CHAPTER

"You...don't remember?"

Machira nodded, putting a hand to her head. "I must have been a little kid or something, but this all seems so familiar...so vivid." She shook her head a bit, and smiled reassuringly. "Oh well."

Gojyo smiled back, then resumed drinking a beer he had pulled from the cooler without complaint.

Although she had convinced Gojyo that she didn't mind, it was harder to convince herself. The memory seemed to be right at her fingertips, but slid away when she tried to access it.

Suddenly, without warning, a wave washed over her.

A woman was standing in front of her, smiling kindly. She was also vaguely familiar, but Machira couldn't place her finger on it. As suddenly as the image appeared, it vanished again.

Although seeing visions worried Machira, she tired not to let it concern her too much. Most of all, she made sure that her companions didn't notice anything was wrong. She had caused them enough hassle already, she realized, fingering a bandage on her left forearm.

Throughout the next hour that it took to reach the nearest town, the visions returned.

The strange woman smiling, holding out her hand to Machira but vanishing when she tried to identify her. Pointing towards something off in the distance.

None of it made sense to Machira, but she decided it was best to ignore them rather than give herself a headache by trying to understand it.

"So...are we gonna stay somewhere that serves breakfast?" Goku asked hopefully.

"We'll see, Goku. It really depends on what's available," Hakkai answered.

"I guess," he replied dismally. He opened his mouth to say something else, but instead yawned widely.

Machira eyed Gojyo, who had just taken another sip of beer. "How can you drink that stuff so early in the morning?" she asked disgustedly.

Gojyo grinned, and pressed the half full can into her hand. "You're underage, so you wouldn't know, I guess."

"No thank you," she said firmly, handing it back. "You keep it."

Gojyo shrugged, and took a gulp. "Your loss."

"It's not really all that bad," Goku offered.

"How would you know? You're younger than I am!"

"Um..." Goku grinned. "Drinking contest?"

Machira laughed. "That must have been interesting."

Goku shrugged. "Not really. I passed out before anything cool happened." Machira raised an eyebrow as he continued, "I heard Sanzo tried to use his sutra magic on some poor guy, though."

He had been about to say more, but the familiar warning click of Sanzo's gun silenced him.

"I'll take you up on that offer when I'm 21, Gojyo," Machira said a moment later, remembering how she had been told not to smoke, drink, gamble, or have any fun by her late grandmother, who had been one of the first to be killed by the demons. They had never really gotten along, but scarcely showed any sign of their emotions when around other people.

Gojyo smirked, and crushed the now empty can with his hands. "Can do."

They finally reached an inn, and were too tired to care where they slept. Gojyo and Machira collapsed onto a double bed, not even bothering to speak. Her eyelids fluttered, and she drifted off into sleep.

The woman was standing in a field, smiling. "Go to the West, child. The West."

"What?" Machira found that she could speak, and asked a question without thinking.

The woman paused, and proceeded to roll her eyes. "Ah, good. You can hear me. I said, go to the West."

Machira frowned. "I heard you the first time."

Placing a hand on her hip, the woman replied, "Then why didn't you just smile and nod, like any other person being visited by a Goddess?"

"Huh?"

"Damn, I had thought you were smarter than this. My name is Kanzeon Bosatsu, the symbol of love and mercy. I'm one of the five Bodhisattvas who rule Heaven," she added, annoyed, having seen the confused look on Machira's face.

"Well, I wouldn't know. I'm not a devoted Buddhist or anything," Machira snapped.

"Ugh," the Goddess replied. "I'm not going to waste time trying to conform you. Call me "The Great Kannon" for short."

"Um...how about just Kannon?"

The Goddess sighed heartily. "Whatever. I don't have time for this. I came to tell you that you must head west with the Sanzo party. It's destiny."

Machira raised an eyebrow. "Destiny?" she repeated skeptically.

"Dammit, you're annoying!" Kannon snapped. "Yes, destiny. Now try not to get yourself any more banged up before then, okay?"

Machira flushed. "It wasn't my fault-"

"Technically," Kannon interrupted. "It was."

"You don't have to keep reminding me about it! I know I'm pathetic already, thanks."

"You'll get stronger," Kannon said softly, her image fading away. "Go to the west, and trust your heart."

"Wait! I-"Machira stopped abruptly, realizing that she was sitting upright in the bed she was sharing with Gojyo with one arm extended to where the woman had been seconds before. Letting her arm drop, she sighed. So much for getting a good night's sleep.

END CHAPTER

For future reference, Bodhisattva means: those who have attained enlightenment but decided to stay and help people on earth rather than go on to Nirvana.

Here's a note about Kannon: she is also a he, somehow.

I got that definition and bit of info from the third manga, and it's full property of Kazuya Minekura (the writer) and my little sister (who purchased the first 3 mangas which I have stolen one by one to do research for this story).

(poke) Ow!

Rabid Lawyer 2: This is fun!

(poke) Ouch!

Wait a second...I know! The Rabid Lawyers are full property of their inventor, JewelValentine. Look her up and read her fics; they're hilarious!

Rabid Lawyers: Nooo! (melt into ground)

(rubs arm) Ouch.

Authoress out.


	7. Close Calls

Authoress here.

I'm amazed. This has been my most successful story thus far, and quite frankly I'm surprised. I started writing it on a whim one day after reading the first Saiyuki manga, and I'm startled that people enjoy it enough to review. I'm used to getting rather rude flames on other stories, so the positive reviews on this one made me so happy that I didn't need sugar to bounce off the walls.

I'll keep going until writer's block hits me again, or until the story ends. I don't want it to end. I apologize if the chapters get increasingly longer or shorter; I'm not very consistent with my writing.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, really, except the character Machira. She's roughly based on me...I wouldn't dare to sleep in the same bed as Gojyo, so there's one difference.

START CHAPTER

Go to the West? Machira heaved a sigh, and leaned against the headboard. How much could she help them, really? She had been severely wounded by a pathetic bunch of pawns that had been a laughing matter to the Sanzo party. She put a bandaged hand to her head and sighed quietly for a second time.

Gojyo shifted in his sleep, and Machira cast a glance at him. His long hair had fallen away from his face to reveal the scars that he carried near his left eye. She stretched out a hand, temporarily illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through a window, to touch his cheek. Coming to her senses with her fingertips only a few inches from his face, she pulled back, startled by her own emotions. Having scolded herself earlier that night for something similar, she was confused as to why she had done it again.

Clasping her hands tightly together, she focused her eyes firmly on a wrinkle in the sheets over her legs, reminding herself silently that she had no chance with a ladies' man and that it was time to get over it.

Gojyo turned again so his back was to Machira, and unbeknownst to her, his eyes flickered open. They had been open a crack when she had reached out to him and pulled away with a pained look, and her actions were confusing him as much as her.

If he's nothing more than a temporary infatuation, then why does it hurt so much to admit that I could never win his heart? Machira wondered, squeezing her eyes shut. Do I...love him? Silently rising from the bed, she walked to the bathroom where she could sink to the floor and let unbidden tears slip from her eyes.

"He has his choice of women," she whispered, brushing a hand across her cheek. "I'm nothing more than entertainment until he finds someone better."

Gojyo yanked his ear from the door, thoroughly shocked. He had crept silently from his spot in the bed when he had seen her leave and heard a soft whimper escape her lips, despite her attempts to muffle it.

Leaning against the side of the bathtub, Machira sucked in a ragged breath. Why am I crying? she asked herself silently. When she had heard that her home had been destroyed, she hadn't cried. When she realized her parents, friends, and family were dead, her eyes had remained dry. "Why am I crying now?" she asked herself quietly, causing Gojyo to place his ear on the door again. "Why the hell does this hurt so badly?"

She had stopped crying by this point, but the feeling of overwhelming sadness was something that she couldn't control. When she stood up, she had to throw out a hand to steady herself.

Gojyo jumped back as he heard her stand up and head for the door. He didn't want her to know that he had been listening.

Seconds later, she pushed the door open to find the room exactly as it had been when she had left it. Gojyo was lying on his back with an arm extended so it rested just below her pillow. She paused as she reached the side of the bed, and instead headed towards the window. Leaning against the frame, she inhaled the crisp night air deeply. The moonlight hitting the ground below was a sight to behold.

A large rose bush was in the middle of her line of sight, and her eyes were drawn to the large rose that the moonlight shone on most directly. The early morning dew already coated the land, and the light shining on the rose gave it a heavenly appearance. The sight cheered her up, and smiled and rubbed her eyes, still red from crying.

She turned from the window, and moved on to her next challenge. Standing at the side of the bed, she pondered what to do about Gojyo's extended arm. A part of her longed to lie down beside him and rest her head on his chest. The more reasonable part of her took over, and she carefully moved his arm so it rested at his side. At that, she slid into bed and forced her eyes to close. She could at least try to fall asleep again before sunrise.

Gojyo smiled to himself, his eyes on the gently curling hairs by the base of her neck. She truly was a remarkable woman, and up until this point had seemed not to be affected by his charming ways. Her silent and softly spoken confessions had revealed otherwise, and left Gojyo to wonder why he hadn't noticed it sooner. He had been attracted to her right away, but considering that he was attracted to almost every available young woman that he had ever seen, it wasn't too much of an honor.

Still, the flirtatious half-demon found it ironic that the only woman who he hadn't seduced and slept with was the only one that was looking for something more than a one-night stand. She wasn't like the other women that he had met in the past, which had caught his attention after she regained consciousness.

Gojyo paused in his thoughts to cast a glance out the window, and gave a satisfied smile. At least his crude ways attracted someone different this time. His eyes flickered shut, and he allowed sleep to claim him.

The next morning, Machira was up quite early. She had finally fallen asleep, but had awoken at sunrise and busied herself with changing the bandages on her hands and arms until Gojyo sat up and yawned.

"Morning," he said, grinning at her.

She tugged on the bandage, making it tighter than she intended when she saw him smiling at her, and jumped. Turning her face down quickly, she loosened the scrap of cloth and hoped to conceal her flushed face.

Gojyo swung his legs over the edge of the bed, using his long hair as a veil to hide his wide smile. As much as she tried, she couldn't fool him into thinking that she didn't still care about him. He arose and crossed the room to where she was struggling to wrap bandages around a burn on her right arm with her left hand.

Placing his hands over hers and causing her to freeze, he said gently, "Here. I'll do it."

"Um...t-thanks," she stammered, releasing her grip on the roll of bandages that she had been holding.

Gojyo's face was close enough to hers where she could see the scars by his left eye clearly. Biting her tongue, she held back the lingering question she had on the origin of them.

"My mother tried to kill me when she saw what I was," Gojyo said quietly, noting how her eyes lingered beside his eye but she kept the question to herself. "But my brother saved me."

Startled at his openness on the event that had probably caused him much pain, she quickly met his eyes and found that he was smiling. He leaned in towards her, one hand moving to caress her cheek. Her heartbeat sped up, and she allowed her eyes to flicker closed.

His lips were inches from hers when the door banged open and the other three men entered, causing him to jerk back sharply.

Thus, Machira's feelings for the redheaded demon were renewed, along with a great deal of confusion.

One question remained in the midst of all of this, however, and plagued her mind: what was Gojyo interested in her for?

END CHAPTER

How was that? I love ending with a cliffhanger. It's just plain fun!

I'll try to get the next chapter up sometime this week, but I make no guarantees.

Authoress out.


	8. Almost A Kiss

Authoress here.

It feels nice to be on the 8th chapter of a story...but this one is drawing ever closer to the end! No! (cries)

Perhaps someone I know would like to claim one of the men from this story and then I could write about them? It would be something to the extent of PenPusherM's lovely Yu Yu Hakusho-based Yujo Chronicles. But different.

Just a thought... I know Kiamo said she thinks that Sanzo is the cutest, but I don't know how well a relationship between them would work. Can you even imagine Sanzo being sensitive and telling someone that he loved them?

(laughs, wipes eyes) It's a funny image.

START CHAPTER

As the four men and one woman headed downstairs for breakfast, one of them kept their eyes on the ground the whole way.

Machira, her face still red from what had almost happened, walked along with her gaze glued to the ground and her mind elsewhere. It wasn't until Gojyo placed a hand on her shoulder because she had been walking towards a solid wall instead of the door that she decided to look up.

He also said nothing as he steered the young woman into a chair at the breakfast table, and heaved an inward sigh. There were a few things he wanted explained as of right now. What about Machira had made him want to kiss her like that? He had seduced women before, but none of them had made him feel like Machira did. She was different to him.

"How did everyone sleep?" Hakkai asked, attempting to start a polite conversation with the others at the table.

"Fine, except Sanzo snores," Goku commented happily, surveying the food on the table before grabbing a little bit of everything and piling it on his plate.

Click.

Goku eyed the banishing gun that Sanzo had pointed at his forehead nervously. "Or...I was just dreaming the whole time?"

Sanzo gave him a brisk nod, put his gun away, and took a bite of a miscellaneous pastry.

The conversation carried on, but neither Machira nor Gojyo said anything to contribute to it. Both were in deep states of thought.

Gojyo was utterly confused. He had won over women before with his charm, and had too many one night stands to count, but something was strange here. The only woman who he had been around for so long without sleeping with was the one he had fallen for.

Machira stirred the oatmeal in front of her absently, her mouth set in a frown. Hakkai, who noticed her unusually quiet demeanor, smiled kindly at her, his emerald green eyes closing. "Did you sleep well?"

"Huh? Oh! Yes, I did. And you?" Machira snapped her attention from her lumpy breakfast to the smiling demon talking to her.

"Just fine," he replied, still smiling. "It's a nice day," he added, casting his gaze out the open window.

She nodded in reply, and set her spoon down beside her untouched meal. "Yeah, I guess."

Hakkai cast a curious look at Machira before he turned to talk to Sanzo and Goku.

After breakfast, everyone busied themselves somehow. Checkout wasn't for another hour, and Sanzo wanted to find someone who had a map for sale. Goku wanted to find something to eat, even though breakfast had just finished. Hakkai and Gojyo both disappeared to somewhere, and Machira stayed in her room to take a bath.

The steaming bath water stung the cuts that hadn't fully healed yet, but Machira ignored the pain as she scrubbed the dirt from her body. Leaning back in the bathtub, she heaved a sigh. After she dubbed herself to be clean, she climbed from the bathtub and dried off. The gouges on her back were the only ones that she needed to wrap again, but in order to do that she had to enlist the help of someone she trusted. She could (and did) wrap bandages around everything important on the front, upper half of her body, but actually covering the wounds was another matter entirely.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before Machira heard a knock at the door, and opened it to find a smiling Hakkai.

"I heard the water running, so I figured you'd need some help with the bandages," he explained kindly.

Machira smiled and replied with a nod, "I do need some help." She had already put bandages on to cover her chest when she removed her shirt, but that didn't keep her from feeling self-conscious as Hakkai appraised the injury and wrapped it up tightly.

"You and Gojyo were very quiet this morning at breakfast," Hakkai commented as he tied the ends of the cloth together.

Machira didn't reply, so he continued.

"Did something happen between you?"

Machira flinched slightly at his words. "No. Nothing."

Hakkai chuckled lightly as she tugged her shirt back on over her head. "It's not really helpful to lie to me. I can see through it fairly well. However, if you choose not to share what's been bothering you, I understand that."

Machira looked at him, startled. "You mean-"

Hakkai nodded, and interrupted her. "You've changed all of us, Machira. Goku has finally met a girl who doesn't hate demons, and you've proven to him that not everyone is going to hate him just because of what he is. For Sanzo, you're a new sparring partner. For myself, a person that I can talk to. Gojyo, however, you've changed the most thus far."

"What do you mean by that?' Machira asked curiously, examining an almost-healed burn on her right hand.

Hakkai smiled at her, and stood up to leave. "That's something I think you've already noticed. He's never really fallen in love before."

Machira gaped at the door as it swung shut behind Hakkai for a few seconds before she sprang up to follow him. She dashed out the door and smashed into Gojyo in her attempts to pursue Hakkai, toppling unceremoniously to the ground.

"Hold on, kiddo. Where's the fire?" he asked good-naturedly, grabbing her hand to pull her up.

"I was just trying to...never mind," she said with a sigh. As an afterthought, she added, "Don't call me kiddo."

He chuckled and released her. "Be careful when you go running around, okay?"

With a nod, she turned to head back into her room, but to her surprise Gojyo followed her in. "I was headed here anyway," he explained.

He looked at her closely for a moment, then a smile crossed his face.

He crossed to the double bed, clutching her arm and dragging her with him. He pulled her onto the bed beside him, and ran his fingers through her hair, offering no explanation for his actions and leaving her bewildered.

"Gojyo, I-"Pink faced and overwhelmed, Machira couldn't even string a sentence together.

Pressing two fingers to her lips to silence her, Gojyo whispered gently, "Let's continue where we left off."

Gojyo leaned in towards her, his lips inches away. They were about to claim Machira's when she turned away and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

He moved towards her, concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"I tried so hard to tell myself not to love you," Machira whispered, and tear sliding from her cheek and splashing onto the floor. "Now, I don't know what to think."

His arms slipped around her waist, and her rested his chin on her shoulder, careful so his chest didn't press against her wounded back. "What do you mean?"

"What is all of this about?" she asked, her eyes focusing on the teardrops that had fallen to the floor. "Why are you doing this?"

He smiled, and laughed softly. "Why? Because I think I'm in love with you." He removed his arms from her waist. "If you feel the same, tell me tomorrow. I'll give you some time to think about it." Standing up and using one hand to shove clumps of rebellious hair from his face, he exited the room.

END CHAPTER

Aren't I evil? Cliffhanger ending again!

Stay tuned for the next chapter, where two or possibly more of my female friends enter as (hehehehe...) hookers! Also, what will Machira choose? Will she trust the womanizing man she loves, or leave him forever? You won't want to miss it!

Rabid Lawyers: (attack for stealing lines from Rurouni Kenshin)

I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or Saiyuki! (Rabid Lawyers melt into the ground)

Authoress out.


	9. Prostitutes and the Elderly?

Authoress here.

Whee, I'm at nine chapters already! I'm happy I've had enough ideas to last me this long, but I also don't want this story to end. I love working on it!

(looks around room) Who wants to be the main character in a sequel? I do owe three of them for making them hookers in this chapter...

START CHAPTER

The Sanzo party left a few hours later, seated in their usual spots in the jeep. Machira didn't say anything to Gojyo on the ride to the next town. She didn't have much time to make up her mind, so her thoughts were elsewhere.

The town that they rolled into was a small one by the name of Karai. There was a very small market in the middle of the town with two dirt paths leading away from it, but no inn in sight. Upon looking around, it was apparent that there wasn't one.

The five agreed on taking a break from driving, and all went their separate ways to wander around Karai as they saw fit.

Gojyo stuck his hands in his pockets and looked skeptically at the stalls selling things all around him. _An entire town and no one's selling cigarettes. Damn. _

A hand suddenly slunk over his shoulder, and he turned to see a charming and busty redhead grinning at him. Her short red hair flipped out and didn't even brush her shoulders, and her shirt was cut so low it was almost a crime. She pressed herself against his back, and peered up at him through her eyelashes. "Looking for a good time, honey?" she asked slyly.

Another shorter woman that he hadn't noticed slid an arm around him, pressing her chest against his arm. This woman had long black hair that fell slightly above her elbows in cascading waves, and she too wore an impish grin.

Gojyo flushed, resisting the urge to nod vigorously. He forced his thoughts back to Machira, and replied, "Sorry, ladies. I'm taken."

The black-haired woman nuzzled his arm with her cheek. "She doesn't have to find out, now does she?" she whispered.

Thinking fast, Gojyo came up with a last desperate idea to get the women away from his before he gave in to his desires. Somehow managing to keep a straight face, he gave the short woman a quizzical look. "She?"

Both girls were too shocked to reply, and hurriedly moved on to do business elsewhere. Gojyo smirked after them, glad none of the others had heard that. It was something he couldn't live down if any of his companions had overheard.

Off looking at some sparkling necklaces that she could never afford was Machira, tenderly fingering a fine gold chain that had the Japanese symbol for half-demon hanging from it. She longed to buy it, but had no money.

The vendor, a toothless old woman who was about as attractive as the underside of horse hoof, cast a glance at her through dark eyes. "Do ye wish to purchase that, lass?"

Machira smiled. "I do, but I'm broke."

With a wave of a gnarled hand, the old woman snapped, "Take the accursed thing! It has claimed many lives with its message to trust half-breeds, and I do not wish for its dark cloud to hang over my humble shop any longer."

Giving the woman a strange glance, Machira accepted and clasped the necklace around her throat, tucking the pendant into her shirt. "You don't trust half-demons?"

The elderly woman gave a throaty chuckle. "Who does, lass?"

Machira smiled. "I do."

A gray eyebrow raised on the old woman's wrinkled face. "Why would that be, lass?"

Raising a hand to toy with her hair as she almost always did when being questioned by a stranger, Machira replied, "Because I'm in love with one."

The older woman waved her hands to shoo Machira away. "Good luck to ye with that, lass, but remember my words of warning when he turns on you."

Machira nodded to be polite, and walked off in the other direction. Finally, she had admitted it aloud. She _did _love him, but did she trust him? Machira sighed. Love was difficult, even in the earliest stages.

Gojyo cast a fleeting glance back at the two women selling their bodies to see that another had joined them; an attractive brunette. He rigidly turned to face forward again as the brunette offered him a beautiful smile. _You're taken, you're taken, you're taken,_ he repeated in his mind. _If she says yes, anyway._

Machira cast a distasteful glance at the group of women who were shamelessly pressing their bodies against every lone male who strode past them. The redhead eyed her for a moment before striding over.

"Is that man over there yours?" she asked, gesturing towards Hakkai, who had remained unnoticed until now. "I saw you two together when you came in."

"Uh...no, he's not," Machira replied, startled by the lustful gleam in the other woman's eyes that came from looking at the ever-polite Hakkai.

"What's his name?" she asked, not bothering to shift her glance from the green-eyed demon.

"Cho Hakkai," came the reply. "But I wouldn't suggest..." She trailed off as she realized the other wasn't paying any attention to her whatsoever. Instead of walking away, Machira decided it might help her get to know Hakkai better if she watched how he reacted to such a pretty girl flirting with him.

"Hello, handsome," the redhead said, smirking at Hakkai as she came within his earshot.

Hakkai smiled back pleasantly, seeming to know the girl's motives but trying his best to pretend not to.

"I'm Emiko," she continued, giving her short hair a flip. "You wanna play?"

Hakkai blushed a little, but his polite demeanor was otherwise unchanged. "I'm going to have to decline, miss."

Emiko's smile faded a little, but she cast a fleeting glance at Sanzo. "You think he could be tempted, then?"

Hakkai chuckled softly. "I wouldn't try it, Miss Emiko. He's a priest."

Emiko snorted, and muttered dejectedly, "Damn. All the cute ones are holy men." She then returned to her spot at the corner, which would undoubtedly lead to her returning home with someone she'd never met.

"What a worthless lifestyle," Machira commented quietly. Hakkai turned to see that she had moved to stand beside him in the amount of time he had spent talking to the redheaded temptress Emiko.

"Agreed," Hakkai replied.

Sanzo, who had been walking past, spotted them and headed over, looking grouchy. "I found an inn. It's a piece of shit, but it'll have to do."

Machira laughed, but inside was concerned. She didn't have much time to figure out what to say to Gojyo. She loved him, but was afraid of being hurt.

It was going to be a long night.

END CHAPTER

(embarrassed pause) Should I make the next chapter a lemon, or should I just stick to my PG-13 trend? I've never written one before and it might creep people out to read it (especially my little sister, who has been reading this as fast as I can type it), but everyone else is doing it. Why not me too?

Censor Demon (Haru, the annoying but hot guy I created in a bored frenzy): Because you're too young to even be thinking about that kind of stuff. R-rated means 17 and up. Are you 17, missy?

No. But that doesn't stop me from writing it!

Haru: But-

Try and stop me, foul demon!

Haru: (pulls out a sledge hammer)

Uh-oh.

Authoress out.


	10. The Good and the Bad

Authoress here.

I don't have much to say, besides the following: this chapter is not a lemon.

I don't own Saiyuki, as much as I may want to.

Haru: Damn right you don't!

Shush.

START CHAPTER

The inn was indeed, as Sanzo had said, "a piece of shit," but it got bonus points for having a working shower. And at least this time, everyone got their own rooms.

Machira sighed heartily, letting the warm water from the shower flow across her un-bandaged body. Raising her hands to her short hair, she squeezed out as much water as possible so she wouldn't completely soak the towel. As she stepped out of the bathtub, her body shielded from view only by a fluffy towel wrapped around her, falling to her mid-thigh, she realized with a slight sinking feeling that she had forgotten a change of clothes. Pulling the towel tightly around her, she unlocked the bathroom door and walked hurriedly to where a clean set of clothes awaited.

As she stood up, her eyes landed on the small bed the inn had provided, and she froze in her tracks. Gojyo was sprawled on top of the comforter wearing an impish grin, his eyes locked on hers.

"What are you doing in here?" Machira demanded, hugging the clothes tightly to her chest.

"Waiting for you," he replied. "I think we need to talk."

Sighing, she asked, "Can it wait until I'm not naked?"

His smile widening a bit, he shrugged. "Whatever you say."

She flushed nervously, rubbing and itch on one leg with the foot of the other, and didn't answer him. Instead, she turned to go back into the bathroom to get dressed. Upon reentering, she found Gojyo had moved to sit in a rickety chair a few feet from the bed.

She glanced around hopefully for another chair, then moved to sit on the bed when she saw there were none.

It took Machira a few seconds to realize that the thumping sound she was hearing was the beating of her own fluttering heart as Gojyo arose and came towards her. Sinking down onto the soft bed beside her, he gently pressed her down onto her back with his lips locked upon hers.

Startled, she let her eyes close as she sank into the bliss of the embrace. _So this is what love feels like, _she thought, letting her arms slide around Gojyo, caressing his back.

Pulling away for a moment, Gojyo smiled at her. "I take it this means yes?"

Machira nodded. The movement shook the necklace pendant, which she had forgotten to tuck inside her shirt when she get dressed, and its glittering caught Gojyo's eye. He reached out and lifted it up to get a better look.

"Where did you get this?"

"A street vendor," she replied, her eyes also shifting towards the necklace. "I saw it and I thought about you."

Gojyo was silent.

"I'll wear it forever to prove that not all demons are bad," she continued, causing Gojyo to glance up at her. "I'd know. I've met quite a few that are pretty damn nice."

With a chuckle, Gojyo released the necklace and moved his hand up to touch her cheek. "You know, when I first met you, my intentions were completely dishonorable. Since you proved to me you were harder to get, I thought turning on the charm would work. You're the only girl I've actually fallen in love with, Machira."

Her face broke into a wide smile, and her cheeks flushed. Quite suddenly, she jumped.

Gojyo pulled his hand back, startled. "Something wrong?"

Placing a hand to her collarbone, Machira shook her head. "No. H-hiccups."

Gojyo laughed. "I should've known. Hiccups are so anticlimactic."

Machira chuckled too. "I k-know."

"If you two are done laughing, we have a situation to attend to," said Sanzo from where he was standing by the doorway, unnoticed until now.

"How long have you been there?" Gojyo demanded.

Sanzo raised an eyebrow. "Long enough."

Machira flushed and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Goku is missing."

END CHAPTER

Yay! New chapter up! (does the chicken dance)

Haru: (too stunned for words)

I'll try and get the next chapter up soon.

Authoress out.


	11. Poison Words

Authoress in this general vicinity.

What? I got tired of the age-old "Authoress here" thing.

After that last cliffhanger chapter, I thought it was only fair to get the next one up fast, so here it is.

Oh, and by the way...the prostitutes make another appearance. I couldn't just leave them out like I accidentally left out Goku in chapter nine! Anyone notice that? My sincerest apologizes to any rabid fans of Son Goku.

Haru: Just shut up and start the chapter already.

Not yet. I had also forgotten Hakkai swore so much! In the first DVD, one of his first lines is, "There's some serious spiritual shit going down."

Haru: You're done.

START CHAPTER

"Goku's...what?"

"Missing, idiot," Sanzo replied sourly to the young woman before him.

She narrowed her eyes at him, matching his sour expression. "I heard the first time, I just find it hard to believe that he would go missing."

"Well, he has," Sanzo replied. "And needless to say-"

"We should find him," Hakkai interrupted, entering eyeshot. "The kid couldn't have gotten far in this dump of a town."

Gojyo snorted as they headed out of the inn and into the small town. "He's probably got his hand stuck up a vending machine or something."

Machira elbowed him sharply in the side. She was just a few inches shorter than him, and successfully hit just below his ribs. "Don't make jokes, Gojyo. He could be in serious trouble."

-Meanwhile-

Goku glanced around, having just awoken from an unconscious haze. Three smiling women stood before him. He started to stand up from where he was slumped on the floor, but found he couldn't move.

"Don't even try it," sneered one of the women, a short but pretty young thing with long black hair.

Another woman, a redhead, flipped her short hair and grinned. "Those aren't ordinary chains binding you, mister demon. If you'll notice, they're enchanted and can't be broken or removed by the person trapped by them."

"So that means you're our prisoner until Lord Kougaji shows up to dispose of you," said the third and final woman, this one with shoulder-length, wavy brown hair.

Goku looked to each one as they spoke, and his vision came into focus. "Hey! You're those girls that were standing on the corner in town!"

"Oh, so he's not as dumb as he looks!" chirped the short woman, her lips curving into an attractive smile.

The redhead nodded. "Which means we can't be too careful around him, Ankara. Narrin," she continued, turning to the other woman. "Do you have the other chains ready for his little friends?"

"I do," she replied, amused. "They're going to head right into a trap...but I think I'll have to help them along. After all, they don't know where to look."

-Back in Town-

"Where could he be?" Machira asked roughly twenty minutes later. "We've looked in every restaurant around here, and no sign of him!"

She sighed and leaned against a building wall, one hand moving to sweep her hair back from her face. "Hey, the hookers are gone," Gojyo commented offhandedly, his way of turning the conversation away from his missing companion. He remembered all too well how powerful Goku was, and had the feeling he didn't want to know who was powerful enough to kidnap him.

"What?" Machira's hand was still raised to her head, holding back the hair that had fallen in front of her eyes.

"Hey, hey, now! They came on to _me_," Gojyo replied, placing an arm around Machira's waist. "And I told them I was taken."

She lowered her arm to fiddle with the necklace that she had vowed never to remove, and didn't reply.

"Trust me on this one, Chi. Nothing happened."

She arched a brow at him.

He heaved a sigh. It didn't look like he was getting through to her. "Listen, if you-"

"Did you just call me Chi?" she interrupted.

He gave her an odd look. "Does that mean you believe me?"

She nodded, hesitated a moment, then asked, "Did you call me Chi?"

"Uh...yeah, I guess I did," he replied, scratching the back of his head. "Does it bug you?"

She smiled at him. "No, you just took me by surprise. I've been called a fair amount of names in my lifetime, but no one's called me Chi since my grandfather died last year."

His smile was hurriedly replaced by an expression of concern. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

She waved her hand as if to brush away his apology. "It's okay. You can call me Chi if you want. It's nice to have someone give me an affectionate nickname again."

He chuckled and gave her waist a quick squeeze before releasing her and stepping away. "I'll call you Chi when I'm feeling frisky so you'll have fair warning."

His remark was greeted by her hand swiftly hitting his upper arm. Her face was pink. "You don't have to say things like that in public, you know. A little boy walking past with his mother just learned more than he ever needed to know about you."

Gojyo grinned and ruffled her hair. "That's what I'm here for: to educate the general public on things most people think but never say."

"Save it for the adults," scolded Machira.

"You take the fun out of life, you know," he replied.

Machira placed a hand on her hip. "You're the most perverted man I've ever met. Tell me again, why do I like you so much?"

Gojyo shrugged. "Search me. Actually," he said as an afterthought. "Frisk me. That's more interesting."

She shook her head at him, failing to hold back a smile. "How many times today should I have slapped you?" She paused, then finished, "Add one to it."

Sanzo had been walking by in time to hear the last few remarks, and gave the pair a very unpleasant look. "You're acting like an old married couple while Goku's missing?" He sighed and kept walking, giving a parting remark of, "Why, Buddha, am I surrounded by idiots?"

Machira and Gojyo watched him leave with equally angered expressions. "We do _not _act like an old married couple," Machira fumed.

"Damn straight. If we were married, you'd be pregnant by now," Gojyo remarked.

Machira's eyebrows shot up. "Okay, let's get back to looking for Goku now."

Gojyo grinned at her, and seized her hand as they started walking again. She jumped a little, startled at the sudden display of public affection, but didn't make a comment against in. She didn't mind him displaying his fondness of her out on the street, but she would let him know if he went too far in a manner most painful.

He was silent as they walked, having realized what her sudden jump meant. Unlike him, she wasn't used to being close to anyone.

-Meanwhile-

"Why are you doing this?" Goku demanded.

Narrin and Emiko had left to keep watch, leaving Ankara to watch over Goku and make sure he didn't escape.

Ankara averted her eyes from the demon boy in front of her. "You wouldn't understand. It's more complicated than just us."

Goku sighed. "Crap, I'm hungry. This sucks!"

Despite herself, Ankara laughed lightly. She was given a strange look, and flushed.

Goku groaned. "I'm so hungry!" he whined.

Momentarily, Ankara extended her hand, offering him a chunk of bread.

Goku ate it as fast as possible, then grinned at her. "For a hooker, you're not all that bad. So...what's the real reason you're doing all this?"

"What?" Ankara looked at him sharply.

Goku smiled, his amber eyes closing. "There has to be a reason for all this."

Ankara glanced away. "All three of us...Emiko, Narrin, and myself, are doing this for a reason. You probably know how all the demons went berserk...being one yourself. All three of us found something in common: we are each in love with a demon. Lord Kougaji said if we captured you, he would return our loves to their original states."

"That's a load of bullshit!" Goku's angry outburst caught Ankara off guard, and she was startled.

"What?"

"Bullshit," repeated Goku firmly. "He's the one who caused all the demons to go insane. He can't help you."

Ankara remained stubborn. "He said he'd help us."

Goku sighed. "He's trying to resurrect the Youkai lord Gyumaoh. It's sending a wave of negative energy that's causing demons to go insane. He's the enemy here!"

"That can't be-"

"Ankara." Emiko was standing in the doorway. "Don't listen to his poison. Besides, your shift on watch is over."

Ankara cast a fleeting look at Goku as she surrendered her spot to Emiko. Was it possible that he was right? Could she have been wrong this whole time?

-Back in Town-

"Shit." Hakkai leaned against a wall, his right hand to his forehead. "Where is he?"

Machira slumped to the ground. "We've looked everywhere! Where the hell could that kid be?" She scooped up a handful of pebbles, watching them slide out of her hand through the spaces between her fingers.

Sanzo sighed, a sound more like a growl. "If that idiot doesn't show up soon, he's dead."

"You miss him?" taunted a crisp female voice. Narrin, the brunette woman from before, stood smiling down at them. "I know where your little demon friend is. Follow me if you want him back."

Without a word, the Sanzo party followed Narrin. After all, they had no other leads. Looking further into this one couldn't hurt.

END CHAPTER

Sorry you're all so evil, my lovely hookers. At least one of you gets converted, though. That's all I'm saying for now.

Send those reviews in! They make me smile!

Authoress out.


	12. Walking Into A Trap

Authoress here. Who else? I mean, really, who would want to post stories under my name besides me?

Sorry for the long absence. I haven't been able to get on this computer in awhile. My sister likes to draw anime on the computer.

I'm back for the time being, so I'll do my best.

START CHAPTER

"Damn I'm hungry!" Goku whined. "I want food! I'm so hungry I could eat a building!" Sitting in the basement of a building that he hadn't seen the outside of, Goku was chained up and disgruntled.

The heavy metal door of the room he was seated in banged open, and Ankara stomped in. "Shut the hell up, you whiner!" In her hands was a tray of food. "I brought you something to eat. If you don't like it, I'll shove it down your ungrateful throat," she snapped, placing it on the floor in front of him.

Indeed Ankara did look irritated, but also watched Goku carefully as he ate as best as he could from his chained up state.

"This is great! Thanks!" Goku said between mouthfuls. Watching him eat was a little funny, but his gratefulness made it so that Ankara couldn't laugh.

Ankara blinked at him slightly openmouthed, then glanced away. "No problem. Just quit whining now, okay?"

Goku nodded exuberantly as he finished off the meal. "I won't complain anymore, I promise." He laughed a little. "I must look a little stupid right now."

Despite herself, Ankara chuckled. "Only a little. You have some food on your face, though."

"Oh." Goku began trying to remove the offending bits of the meal from his face, but Ankara crouched down beside him with a cloth napkin.

"Here. I'll do it," she said firmly.

As she worked, Goku's eyes moved to meet hers. "You said before you were in love with a demon. What was his name?"

Ankara lowered the napkin and sighed. "It doesn't matter. He went to the other side by choice, and I can't bring him back. It's worthless to even hope that he could change back to the man he once was."

"Oh...sorry then," he replied.

"It's fine. It was a long time ago," she explained, carefully avoiding his eyes. She started to stand up and walk away, but his clawed hand caught her wrist from between the chains.

Startled, she looked at Goku. "Let go."

Slowly, he shook his head. "Unchain me, Ankara."

She was silent and unmoving.

"Ya know, for a hooker, you're really alright," Goku informed her with a toothy smile.

Ankara sighed angrily. "I'm not a hooker, you idiot! My friends and I dressed and acted like that in hopes of capturing the half-demon, not you. What a shock it was to us when we recognized you wandering alone."

Goku frowned at her and released her wrist.

"Narrin is leading your friends here right now. We have chains prepared for all three of them. They're walking into a trap as we speak." Ankara couldn't bear to look at Goku anymore, and left the room.

Goku hardly noticed. _All three of them? They don't know about Machira! _His smile returned. At least there was hope.

-Outside-

"So this is where that idiot went?" Sanzo was looking grouchy as always as he examined the building that Narrin had said they could find their friend in.

Narrin nodded, her lies coming all too easily. "He's stuck downstairs, but he wouldn't let us near him to help. He's been whining about being hungry this whole time, too. Quite annoying, really."

Hakkai smiled. "Well, that sounds like him, now doesn't it?"

Machira frowned despite the relief of having found where Goku had ventured off to. The other woman hadn't even become aware of the fact that she was there. Deciding not to make herself noticeable, she sidled closer to Gojyo. He cast her a confused look, as she had recently yelled at him for doing something similar. "Trust me," she mouthed.

He nodded, slightly confused, and followed the others as they headed in through the door with her lagging slightly behind so that she was hidden behind him.

They walked through winding corridors that made them grow more suspicious. If Goku had really wandered in by himself, he would've given up trying to find his way by now and started shouting for food.

Hakkai sent Sanzo and Gojyo a look that expressed his doubts about the authenticity of the woman's story, but they went on nonetheless.

As she reached a large door, Narrin turned around to look at them with her back pressed against it. "I'll warn you now: that stupid demon boy isn't in the best of moods right now."

"I figured as much," Sanzo replied sourly. "After all, he's stuck in here with you people."

Narrin's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but her tone remained as it was before. "I'll take that into consideration when you assholes need something from us."

Gojyo smirked a bit. Out of all the people he had ever met, he'd have to say that Sanzo was the best at making people angry. "Nice place you got here," Gojyo commented offhandedly. "It's like a maze down here."

"It is a maze, moron," Narrin replied, angry that they all seemed to know how to irritate her. "I don't know who made it, but it's a maze on purpose."

Hakkai smiled. "We'd like to go get our friend now, if you don't mind."

"Aren't you the falsely polite one," Narrin snapped as she opened the door for the men and unnoticed woman. She strode into the large room ahead of all of them, and then spun to face them. She pointed off to her right. "He's over there."

As they stepped into the room, Ankara and Emiko snickered. It was too late for them to escape now. A golden chain identical to the one holding Goku entwined itself around Sanzo, who had been the first to walk in. Goku was indeed off to the right.

"It's a trap!" he shouted, his warning coming too late.

Another chain twisted itself around Hakkai, and a third bound Gojyo.

Machira stood frozen, waiting for a chain to wrap around her, then realized the flaw in the plan that had been designed to capture her companions. They had never noticed that she was traveling with them.

Emiko stepped away from the wall where she had been standing unnoticed, and laughed. "That was too easy!"

"Yeah," Machira replied, stepping forward. "Wasn't it?"

Emiko recoiled in shock. "Who the hell are you?"

"Oh, that's right!" Machira replied in mock surprise. "You never noticed me, huh?"

"She's injured," Narrin observed, glancing at a bandage that was still wrapped around Machira's left arm. "This is going to be simple."

"Kick her ass, Machira!" Goku shouted from the other side of the room.

Machira looked over at him and laughed, her gaze quickly shifting back to the two women front of her while she replied. "How many of them are there?"

"Three, I think," came the shouted reply.

Machira glanced around. There was no sign of another woman. "Shout if you see the third." She smirked at Narrin and Emiko. "I've got some ass to kick." She took a step forward. "No one messes with my friends."

"Actually," a cool male voice responded. "I don't think it's them that you should be concerned with."

END CHAPTER

Cliffhangers!

Haru: She feels the need to announce what's already making loyal reviewers angry.

Shush. I'll attempt to get the next chapter up soon, but if it's not...(waves fist in the general direction of the school building) You know what to blame.

Authoress out.


	13. Walk Away

Authoress here.

It's really been awhile since I was on this computer, where I have this all saved. Sorry for the delay! The...very long delay...

There's a name in here just for PenPusherM!

START CHAPTER

Machira's eyes moved without hesitation to the man who had spoken. When he stepped forwards, out of the shadows, Machira took the same number of steps in the opposite direction.

"Nervous, are we? Didn't expect to see a demon here, did you?" The questions were more to taunt the lone girl who was still capable of opposing him than to be answered snidely.

He snickered softly. His appearance was not that of a scaly ogre, but of a very handsome man with chestnut hair and only a small dark swirl on his forearm that revealed, at first glance, that he was not human.

Machira eyes roved his body for any sort of weapon, but he drew a long curved sword before she had finished. He smirked. "You don't have a weapon, do you? It almost seems a pity to kill one so thoroughly unprepared."

Machira didn't answer.

"Girls," said the demon, turning to Emiko and Narrin. "Leave."

"But Kurma-"

"Go! _Now_!" he snapped.

Defeated, the two other women left and did not return.

"Now then...let's get to it." Kurma took another step towards her, and again she flinched back. He rushed at her and swung his sword to the side. She neatly leapt over it and kicked him in the back once before getting out of range.

He turned to face her and smirked again. Her spirits were immediately dampened. "That's all you can do? You are truly pathetic. And here I was, thinking I'd actually get a fight out of you before I turned you into a carcass."

Machira merely glared. She had learned that when she didn't know the opponent's full strength, she shouldn't waste her breath with insults.

"Machira, get these chains offa me!" Gojyo called from ten feet to her right.

She turned to do just that when Kurma's voice rang out from in front of her. "Are you that weak that you need him to save you, girl?"

Machira didn't reply, but also didn't move.

"Machira!" Gojyo cried, struggling against the chains. "Don't listen to that guy!"

She was silent a moment, her hair falling in front of her eyes and shielding them from view. Then, she looked up. "I'm not weak," she whispered. "And I can kill you by myself."

Sanzo growled under his breath and rolled his eyes. "God dammit," he grumbled.

"She's gonna get herself killed!" Gojyo cried.

"Let's not say things like that just yet, okay?"

Machira took in their expressions, and felt like crying. All of them were concerned except Sanzo, who was just angry, meaning they didn't think she could do it.

She slid her feet apart, taking up a battle stance. "I can do this guys, so don't worry," she said quietly.

Kurma raised his curved sword again. "Do you honestly think you can win against me? You don't even have a sword!"

Machira smiled at him. "I can sure as hell try."

His eyes narrowed before he charged at her, swinging his sword quickly in all directions.

As she dodged him, Goku struggled against his chains. He knew from how they were preventing him from using his weapon that the others were also next to helpless.

When the moments sparring ended, Kurma was ten feet in front of Goku and Machira was standing before the others. When he heard the rattling of Goku's chains, Kurma turned to him.

"Maybe you would fight better if you suffered a loss," Kurma suggested.

He raised his sword up over Goku's head, and sharply brought it down.

There was a loud clanging noise as another sword met his and stopped it from hitting the young demon. His opponent skidded back a few feet, but held her ground.

Goku looked at the sword-wielding woman in shock. "Ankara? What are you doing?"

Kurma took the only chance he was offered to get the woman out of his way, and kicked her in the stomach. She fell backwards, dropping her sword.

Inches before she hit the ground, she felt strong hands catch her. Turning her head to the side, she saw Goku.

His arms were free from the tightly wound chains, nothing more, and he used them to pull her closer as she blacked out. Holding her like that was the most he could do to thank her.

"Leave them alone," Machira shouted across the room. "They aren't involved! This fight is between you and me, no one else! Let's keep it even."

"Then why don't you free all of your friends?"

"I can kill you myself."

Machira and Kurma went at it again, but this time a red mark was visible on Kurma's face when they broke apart, signifying that she had hit him fairly hard.

"Nasty little brat." Kurma spat blood onto the ground from a cut on the inside of his mouth that had been made by her fist knocking soft skin into fangs.

Breathing hard, Machira replied, "Thanks."

Goku slammed his chains into the ground, making Kurma turn and look. Realizing that he was trying to distract her opponent, Machira didn't move.

"Machira! Just hit him! The hell with fair! If you don't do something fast, he's gonna kill you!" Gojyo shouted.

"I know that," she replied as Kurma looked back to her. She raised her fists again. "I'm not a china doll that'll break if it gets hit too much. Leave this to me."

"Let's make this a fair fight, then." Startling her, Kurma threw his sword away and raised clawed hands. He curled them into fists. "I'll fight your way."

When he came at her, he started out with a hard right that she easily ducked. The rest of his punches were easy to dodge as well.

_He's slow_, she thought wonderingly. _What is he doing?_

To try and get him to fight better when he realized the stakes, Machira gave up on fists and kicked him in the chest. He lost his balance for a second, but did not fall.

"And here I was thinking that the women working for me were the whores," he snapped.

Machira smiled. Based on the insult, it seemed that he had truly been doing his best and had overestimated his own skills with his fists.

It was proven when he went to grab his sword. Machira was suddenly blocking his way, moving faster than him. She grabbed the weapon and hurled it as high up as she could. It stuck deep into the wood of the wall.

"What happened to fighting fair?"

Kurma now looked slightly panicked with his sword out of reach.

"Kick his ass!" Gojyo seemed to realize that now the stakes were more even, Machira had a much better chance.

Hakkai smiled. "I was hoping I didn't have to help."

"Huh?" Even Sanzo looked remotely interested.

"I could have already hit him with a chi blast, but this is Machira's fight, not mine."

Machira had heard him. _He could've helped me all along, but decided to let me do it myself? Thanks, Hakkai._ A smile curved on her lips.

Kurma brushed hair from his eyes, a frown placed on his face. "He didn't ever mention you before. Kougaji, I mean."

She chuckled a bit. "I didn't really expect to be worthy of recognition from a demon anyway." She sighed and looked around at the chained up people around her. "Let's call this fight a draw, shall we?"

Kurma nodded, and soon after had exited the room. It was only then that Machira freed the men from the chains that bound them.

"You don't have to worry about me," she said happily once they were all freed.

"I wasn't worried, I was pissed," Sanzo replied. "If something like this ever happens again, don't leave us chained up like that."

She nodded. "I don't think it'll happen again, though."

Goku was still holding Ankara when he came over to the others. "She stopped him from killing me. Why?"

"Women are complex, Monkey Boy," Gojyo replied. "She probably doesn't even know."

Goku didn't bother starting a fight with Gojyo. He smiled at Ankara, then lifted his head and looked around. "I'm hungry! Let's get something to eat!"

Ankara woke up a few moments later, right as the Sanzo party realized that they didn't know the way out, and guided them to the exit.

It was easy to spot a restaurant from the door, so everyone but Goku and Ankara headed there to get a meal.

"I'll catch up with you!" Goku had assured his comrades.

Ankara started to head back inside the building, but Goku caught her by the shoulders. "Why did you help me like that?"

"I...I don't know," she confessed. "I just didn't want you to die, I guess."

"Well, thanks for that. I mean it!"

"No problem," Ankara replied, smiling at him. She was silent for a moment, and her smile faded into a frown. "Are you leaving tonight?"

Goku nodded, glancing over to the restaurant. "I think so."

Ankara took one of his hands in hers. "I'm going to miss you."

"Same here."

"It's not fair," she said quietly. "I wish I could've spent more time with you. And...I'm sorry for everything. Until I met you, I was caught up in the idea of getting the man I loved back. It took meeting a demon fighting to return the world to the way it should be to get me to realize that I didn't want him.

"It's time for me to stand back and watch you walk out my life forever," Ankara replied softly. "I'll never forget you, Goku." She leaned forward to place a light kiss on his lips, then vanished inside the building before he could see her tears fall freely.

When they left the next morning, Goku stared at the building she had gone into until it was out of sight.

Machira, who had slept badly, leaned against Gojyo peacefully.

Hakkai and Sanzo were silent.

Goku sighed. Maybe someday, they would meet again. Either way, he would always remember her.

"So...where are we headed?" Gojyo asked.

"West," came the simple answer from the High Priest Sanzo.

END CHAPTER

Uh-uh, I'm not done yet! There's either one or two more chapters left to go, so don't count me out yet!

Authoress out.


	14. Three Little Words

Authoress here.

Okay, so I don't update as quickly as I should. But I was recently threatened by PenPusherM to update or bad things would happen. So I emailed the chapter to myself, opened the email, copied and pasted thewhole chapter onto Word, savedthe document, and updated it - all in the school library during study hall. So be happy.

With that said, here's the last chapter! Enjoy it!

**START CHAPTER**

The next morning was colder than Machira could imagine a morning could ever be. What caused it to be so cold, she wasn't sure. Maybe it was watching a young woman who had lost her way wave goodbye to a man she would never see again but cared for too deeply for herself to even understand. Maybe it was the guilt of knowing that although she had faced far less trials in her life than a love struck young woman, and yet she was the one who wound up snuggled into Gojyo's shoulder while Goku sat alone. Or maybe it was the overwhelming emotions that threatened to spill over and infect those around Machira that caused her to feel withdrawn and frigid.

Machira sighed deeply into the half-demon's crimson hair and tightened her grip around his hand. He smiled down at her and planted a light kiss upon her forehead, his expression gentle and loving.

She was the only woman he had tried to seduce that had not surrendered her body to his primal urges willingly and fully, yet for some reason, it didn't matter to him. Sure, his reputation as a womanizer would be trashed if his friends back home found that he had actually fallen in love, but what did it matter?

This was real. This was deeper than a fling whose name he wouldn't remember the next morning. This girl could be the one.

Girl. His mental usage of such a word betrayed a fear he had tried to push to the back of his mind. She was still young – younger than any other woman he had been interested in, and far more innocent. He knew from her shy glances and how she shifted away in embarrassment if he moved to quickly that she had never felt a man's touch.

Would he be the one to rob her of that innocence?

He shifted his hand down to her waist, and a moment later, to her thigh. Even half asleep, Machira jumped like a frightened deer at his touch and brushed his hand off.

_She's afraid_, Gojyo reasoned to himself. _And why shouldn't she be? _

He tried to remember back to the moment when she actually, truly said that she loved him. Had it ever happened? With a jolt, he realized that she hadn't. When she had told him if she wanted him, a simple "yes" or "no," she had nodded instead of saying the words out loud.

Machira exhaled slowly and surreptitiously glanced at Gojyo's face to read his expression. He was deep in thought, staring at the ground ahead of them but not actually seeing it.

She felt somewhat guilty for not being able to share a bed with him. She trusted him enough to stop if she asked him to, but what were her limits? She was scared, deeply, fully, scared of being in love.

Was she in love? And for that matter, what exactly was love? How could she sum up a word that encompassed such a massive emotion? She had loved her parents growing up, but somehow doubted that the love she showed them was the same sort that a woman should feel for a man.

"Hungry?" Gojyo broke the uneasy silence and held out a chunk of bread to the woman nuzzled against him.

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

"I hate that word."

"Fine?"

The kappa nodded. "I've learned that when a woman says that she's fine, or everything is fine, or whatever, that _nothing_ is fine."

Machira laughed lightly. "I really do mean that I'm fine when I say I'm fine, Gojyo."

"What about when you say nothing's wrong? That means that everything is wrong."

Machira crinkled her brow. "For some women, I guess...but not for all."

"Women are too complicated," Gojyo replied dismissively.

"And men are so simple that women don't understand them."

Gojyo gave Machira an odd look that made her suddenly feel as if she didn't know him. "You think that?"

Machira shrugged.

"So you think _I'm_ simple?"

"I didn't say that," she replied, startled. "And I suppose men aren't really at that simple, it's just that..."

"Just that what?" He didn't give her a chance to reply. "You think women are better? That they're smarter? I'll admit that men have their flaws, but so do women. And if you keep ignoring your own flaws– "

She sighed, exasperated. "Do we need to do this?"

"If you keep generalizing guys like that, then maybe," he replied so sharply that she drew back as though she had been scalded.

Machira felt hurt, but more than that, scared at what this conversation could erupt into. "You generalized women in the same way," she pointed out timidly.

Gojyo rolled his eyes. "But I didn't insult them."

"Saying we're complicated isn't insulting us?" Machira replied softly.

He sighed. "I didn't mean it like that, Machira. I meant–"

"I don't want to have a battle of the sexes with you, Gojyo. I love you too much for that." Machira was startled by her own boldness. Somehow, after a full-blown argument, she realized that she loved him far too much to lose him.

Love. Tears sprang to her eyes as she realized what it meant to her.

Love is caring so deeply for a person that you would go out of your way to make them smile. Love is missing someone when they aren't always by your side, and wishing their arms were around you to keep you safe and warm when you need it. Love is smiling when you see someone without knowing any reason other than your own happiness that they're with you.

Gojyo was startled into silence. Momentarily, he recovered and tightened his grip around her. "I...I love you too, Machira," he replied shakily, his voice trembling.

"Let's keep the much to a minimum," Goku commented grumpily. "Listening to that shit makes me hungry."

"_You just ate!_" Sanzo said through gritted teeth. "How the _hell_ can you be hungry already?"

Goku made a face. "We've been over this. I went without food for five hundred years, and so now my body is making up for it. Ooh! Ooh! I want miso soup, a meat bun, some wantons, a rice ball or five, a – "

"Goku, shut up!" Machira groaned. "You're making me hungry too!"

Hakkai chuckled and glanced back at them in the rearview mirror, but his apparent humor was not reflected in his eyes. A moment later, he said quietly, "I assume you want to know who this Kougaji that those women mentioned is, then?"

The atmosphere in the jeep shifted as Machira's eyes shifted to meet his reflection in the mirror. "Yes."

Through the explanation, Machira could feel shivers running down her spine. Kougaji was a powerful demon who seemed to be dead set on killing the entire Sanzo party. His motive, they assumed, was to get Sanzo's sutra for the purpose of resurrecting a terrifying demon lord named Gyumajoh.

She nodded calmly when he had finished. There was one loose end tied up, at least. "I still don't understand why the never noticed me."

Suddenly, she remembered the necklace she had purchased before Goku had gone missing. The golden pendant with the symbol for 'half demon' on it...

"Wait. I'm human, so I wouldn't show up when they scanned for demonic and holy magic!" Machira realized.

Sanzo took a puff on his cigarette, blowing the smoke into the wind. "Could be. Or maybe they just didn't care since you're a pansy ass little girl."

Machira grinned despite the insult and leaned forward to muss his hair. "I kinda missed the bitchy insults from you."

Hakkai could see the vein pulsing in Sanzo's forehead, and laughed nervously.

As usual, the priest retaliated by whapping her upside the head with his paper fan. "Do that again, and I'll fucking kill you!"

Machira rubbed her head, laughing.

Goku grinned. "So Sanzo hates both of us! I'm not the only one!"

"Sanzo hates a lot of people," Gojyo replied, lighting a cigarette which was promptly confiscated and thrown out of the jeep to die in the desert sands. He turned to stare, aghast, at Machira. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded.

"Smoking kills," came the cool and collected reply.

"Yeah," he replied, getting a devilish look in his eyes. "It does." At that, he jumped at the opportunity to tickle her sides, not really knowing if it would do anything.

Much to his delight, Machira yelped and jumped away, slapping at his hands.

"You're ticklish!" Gojyo cried, and deftly began to tickle her again.

"Stop...tickling...me!" she gasped between laughing fits. She flailed around for a moment before raising her hand upward with a can of beer. Gojyo's movements halted abruptly when he recognized it as his own, the last cold can in the jeep. "Stop tickling me, or I'll dump this."

Gojyo groaned in displeasure and reached for the beer. "Fine."

"I thought you hated that word," Machira replied, her eyes glinting with amusement as she handed him back the can.

"You're rubbing off on me."

Goku erupted into laughter. "Gojyo is becoming a chick!"

"Fuck you, you little monkey bitch!"

Machira gently set her hand onto Gojyo's shoulder, and he fell silent with a frown.

"Domineered!" Goku happily proclaimed, leaning back and grinning widely.

Machira rolled her eyes and settled herself against Gojyo's shoulder. Something told her that the rest of the trip would be very interesting indeed. "So...we're headed West?"

"Yes. It's a dangerous trip, you know. There are going to be demons and such everywhere," Hakkai warned.

Casting a glance at the half-demon beside her, Machira smiled. "I think I can handle it."

**END**

(dances around) It's done!

No lemon, though.

Oh well. Maybe I'll write one on an email basis or something.

Review! It makes me giggle in delight and frolic around my home like a hyperactive weasel!


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